On October 20th, 2017, the Appalachian State Ranger Challenge team left Boone bright and early to travel to Ft. Pickett (Virginia) to compete in the 4th Brigade Ranger Challenge Competition. The team consisted of 11 Cadets, who after nearly two months of training, were prepared to go up against some of the Brigades best ROTC programs in a variety of events that would challenge them both physically and mentally. The winning team would move on to the national Ranger Challenge competition to be hosted at West Point.
The competition was designed to test Cadets from 45 different universities on the individual warrior tasks ranging from technical events, tactical events, and physical events. Throughout the course the Mountaineer Battalion team maneuvered through a course that included a Hand Grenade Assault Course, the coveted Army Obstacle Course, the M4/M9 Range, Perform First Aid –Bleeding Task,a 3 mile run and ten other warrior task events. The Cadets representing Appalachian State were led by senior Daniel Ellis, and included Cadets Jeremy Tuggle (MS3), Benjamin Pritchett (MS3), James Gehret (MS3), Sam Boyles (MS3), Ricky Finegan (MS3), Edgar Dominguez (MS2), Lynn Cox (MS2), Heidi Robinson (MS2), Ryan Malmgren (MS1), and Connor Hoy (MS1). These Cadets dedicated their time with early morning training sessions to prepare themselves for the culminating event at Fort Pickett.
The competition began bright and early on Saturday, October 21st where nearly 500 Cadets representing their programs would chase victory throughout the various events. Looking to add the prestigious “Ranger Challenge Streamers” to their guidon, the Mountaineer’s had a strong start and would eventually end the competition with an event streamer. Speed would be the name of the game for the App State Cadets, as they were the fifth team out of forty-five to finish the course overall. The competition would end with Appalachian State finishing in 9th place overall, besting their mark from 2016. When asked how he would describe his Ranger Challenge experience, Cadet Jeremy Tuggle summed it up simply, saying, "Rigorous and Challenging. It tested our teamwork and leadership abilities under pressure.” The competition was designed to push Cadets to the limit and allow some of our nation’s future Army leaders develop through a demanding contest. With another streamer on the Mountaineer Battalion guidon collection, the Mountaineer Battalion continues its legacy of continually being one of the most competitive and outstanding ROTC programs at the 4th Brigade Ranger Challenge Competition.
