Marquette Army ROTC headed to international Ranger Challenge at West Point

April 9, 2019

MILWAUKEE — Marquette Army ROTC will compete at the 2019 Sandhurst International Ranger Challenge Competition at West Point, New York, in April.

The Golden Eagle Battalion took first place in the nine-cadet competition at Ft. Leonard Wood in November against 42 senior collegiate Army ROTC programs and over 100 major colleges and universities in the Midwest. The Marquette program also boasted the second-place five-cadet team. 

The Ranger Challenge is regarded as the varsity sport for the United States Army Cadet Command. The competition tests cadets’ abilities in land navigation, marksmanship, knowledge and teamwork. Three teams, including a second five-cadet squad, placed first overall in the task force competition.

The Sandhurst Invitational is April 12 at West Point and will feature 48 teams, including 14 international entries, several company teams from West Point, and other service academy entries. Marquette is one of 16 ROTC programs competing. 

“This means a lot to the team with respect to the work we’ve put into our training,” said Cadet Kevin Griffith. “It’s an awesome feeling getting to represent the Golden Eagle Battalion and Milwaukee against teams from across the world. These competitions give us the chance to make ourselves better officers but are also a great opportunity to size our abilities up against the best competition. Personally, I’m looking forward to sharing the experience of such a challenging event with some good friends.”

The Golden Eagle Battalion is Milwaukee's ROTC program. Partnering with other schools in the area, including UW-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside, Milwaukee School of Engineering and Concordia University, the program trains college students to lead. As a commissioned officer in the United States Army, former cadets leave college to make a difference in their world.

The purpose of the Sandhurst Invitational is to deliver the world’s premier international academy military skills competition to inspire cadets to achieve military excellence in their chosen profession through a physically and mentally rigorous leadership challenge that reflects the tempo, uncertainty and tasks of combat.

About Kevin Conway

Kevin Conway

Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of University Relations. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.