Cyber students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) recently captured the national championship in the Department of War Chief Information Officers (DOW CIO) Cyber Workforce Competition at the National Defense University in Washington.
“This is exactly what we mean when we say UNG prepares students for what comes next,” UNG President Michael Shannon said. “Our students are not waiting to serve. They are already operating at the level our nation and our allies demand.”
UNG’s cyber warriors progressed through an eight-team bracket made up of the nation’s six senior military colleges (SMCs), the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy. They defeated fellow SMC Texas A&M in the quarterfinals, followed by a semifinal victory against USMA and a championship triumph over The Citadel, another SMC.
“This was not theoretical work — this was applied, high-stakes problem-solving,” said Dr. Bryson Payne, director of UNG’s Institute for Cyber Operations. “Our students demonstrated that they can compete — and win — at the highest levels of national security.”
The victory in the nation’s capital allows UNG to represent the U.S. in a Five Eyes cyber competition that will include U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand service academies in Canada early next year.
UNG’s team members included David Atsu, Stewart Cates, Jonathan Farrington, James Goble, Tyler McBride, Paxton Meyer, Dagen Shehorn, and Sawyer Shepherd.