Marquette Army ROTC to compete at Sandhurst International Ranger Challenge at West Point, May 1-2

The Army ROTC program at Marquette University will compete at the Sandhurst International Ranger Challenge Competition at West Point, New York, May 1-2. Marquette qualified for Sandhurst for the fourth-straight year, winning the Brigade Ranger Challenge Championship at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri in November.

The Golden Eagle Battalion is one of 16 ROTC programs competing at the event, which will also feature teams from West Point, military service academies, and international teams from across the globe.

"This competition is the epitome of excellence, bringing together the best of the best, and I am thrilled to have the privilege of leading such a great team," said Mason Brill-Meerdink, team captain and a senior in the Diederich College of Communication. "My faith is a driving force in my leadership, and my prayer is that my desire to serve others has a lasting impact on my team. Our program has made history, competing at Sandhurst for four years in a row and exemplifying the Army values we believe in. Competition breeds excellence, and the Marquette University Army ROTC program and Ranger Challenge team are honored to head to Sandhurst again this year to do our best and bring home the victory!"

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.

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 Wisconsin, 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 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.