EWU’s ROTC Cadets Compete for Top Honors

Eastern’s ROTC Ranger Challenge Team achieved a milestone this year, earning sixth place among 36 universities that vied for top honors at the U.S. Army Cadet Command 8th Brigade Ranger Challenge Competition at Fort Hunter Liggett in California.

The challenge, held in late February, brought together ROTC programs from across the western United States, including universities from Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Montana and Arizona. Eastern’s sixth-place finish marks the highest placement in the program’s history.

The multi-day event challenges cadets through a series of demanding physical and tactical competitions that test endurance, teamwork and military skills. Over roughly 30 hours, the teams competed for top honors in land navigation, communications, medical response, functional fitness and other military-related challenges.

Team selections began early in the academic year, with cadets practicing five to six days each week in the months leading up to the event. The EWU team included the following 11 student cadets who volunteered their time and trained extensively to prepare for the competition.

• Nicholas Spence
• Gabe Haver-Brown
• Skyler Tibbett
• Nicholas Pluskett
• Peter Johnson
• Cooper Thomas
• Victor Zitacuaro
• Gavin Bender
• Gideon Godinez
• Myra Miller
• Sophia Barrow

Cadets Spence, Pluskett, and Haver-Brown described the experience as both “demanding” and “rewarding.”

One of the standout moments for the team came during the functional fitness portion of the competition, where EWU cadets set a new mark in the event. Gabriel Haver-Brown, who helped design the team’s workouts throughout the year, explained that the preparation paid off when it mattered most.

“For that event we completed 720 kettlebell swings in 20 minutes, which ended up being the record for that challenge,” Haver-Brown said. “A lot of that came from the training we were doing leading up to the competition. We spent months building the endurance we needed to perform at that level.”

For the cadets, however, the competition was about more than just physical performance. The experience reinforced the importance of teamwork and communication under pressure. “The group is only as good as you,” Spence said. “You have to be there for everyone the same way they’re there for you.”

Cadets described their approach as being “selfish for one another,” meaning they pushed themselves in certain moments so that teammates could be ready for the challenges where their strengths were needed most.

“It meant doing what was best for the team,” said Pluskett. “Everyone had a role, and we were always looking out for each other so we could perform at our best.”

Beyond the competition results, the cadets say the experience strengthened the bond between teammates and reinforced the culture of commitment within EWU’s ROTC program. “Placing sixth out of 36 schools really shows what our program is capable of,” Pluskett said. “It’s a testament to the culture we’ve built and the work everyone puts in to keep improving.”

With the program’s best finish ever, the EWU Ranger Challenge team hopes to continue building on this momentum as future cadets take on the challenge in the years ahead.

**Story written by Rhylan DeLaRosa.