Gonzaga Ranger Challenge Team advances to international competition

Gonzaga University is home to an amazing ROTC program Every year the program has an elite squad of students that compete in the Ranger Challenge Team competition. Last year, GU's Ranger Challenge Team made it to the international competition at West Point Academy.

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Joint Base Lewis McChord: One of the largest military bases in the United States, with 87,000 acres of prairie land just south of Tacoma, Washington, was home to 10 of Gonzaga’s finest men and women on Jan. 26-28.

GU’s Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Ranger Challenge team earned a first-place trophy for the second year in a row, after competing at the 8th Brigade Ranger Challenge. The GU ranger team competed against the University of Washington ROTC and Claremont McKenna College. 

“The 8th Brigade competition took the winners of the three respective task forces that comprise [the] 8th brigade,” Team Leader Sean Gallagher said. “[The three task forces] compete in order to identify the best Ranger Challenge Team on the West Coast, which [will] ultimately represent the 8th brigade at Sandhurst.” 

This will be the second year in a row – and second time in school history – the Bulldogs advance to the Sandhurst competition. 

Out of 30 teams in the 8th Brigade, GU will go on to represent brigade at the Sandhurst competition at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

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Cadets Gallagher, John Hylden, Tony Novak, Diana Karlova, Rachel Howard, Trevor Cheadle, Trent Nett, Grady Gosselin, Ben Wuthrich and Sean Leriche have been training for the 8th Brigade Competition after winning the task force competition in October. 

“This competition we did a total of 19 miles the first day, of rucking, and there were nine different events throughout that,” Team Captain Hylden said.

Between their M4 machine guns and the supplies in their rucksacks, the cadets had approximately 30-50 pounds of weight that they were carrying during their ruck march and completing their events. 

The events include an obstacle course, 45-degree wall the entire team had to cross, properly donning Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear (CBRN) masks, land navigation, hand grenade assault course, M4  assembly and disassembly and first-aid exercises. 

Another challenge determined by the brigade commander, known simply as the commander’s challenge, was a physical challenge test. The cadets’ strength was tested in a seven minute per physical challenge, i.e., push-ups, pull-ups, burpees, etc.

“It’s a constant suck,” Hylden said, “There’s nothing to do but break down the wall and keep going. The pain doesn’t go away, you just got to stop thinking about it.”

Throughout the timed competition the team’s ability to work together, stay focused and take direction illuminated their perseverance.  

“You signed yourself up for this and it feels terrible at the time, but the ability to persevere does make you stronger and a better person,” Hylden said. 

Fatigue and tiredness plagued the cadets throughout the 19-mile trek. However, they were forced to persist no matter how much pain they were in. 

“All the events were interlaced throughout the ruck. We’d have to move from one event to the other,” Gallagher said. “ I think the challenge was competing at the highest level despite being very tired. We’d have a 5-mile movement to go do weapons assembly and disassembly. And although we’ve done that thousands of time we had to get focused and couldn’t make mental mistakes.” 

After the 19-mile course, the cadets underwent an inspection to ensure that all supplies were accounted for. They received no penalties during inspection.

Throughout their 19-mile course, GU ROTC alumni showed up to support the men and women competing. Those who couldn’t make it sent their support from all over the world. 

“Dr. [Alan] Westfield has an email list of about 780 people,” Hylden said. “The day before we left for competition, I was sitting in class and my phone kept buzzing in my pocket, and I looked at [my phone] and there were 14 new emails [forwarded by] Dr. Westfield from previous alumni.”

“Quite a few parents and alumni were there. People come out of the woodwork and people were tracking it on the email messages and Facebook all over the planet,” Westfield said. “Afghanistan, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Hawaii, everywhere.”  

Messages from alumni were as simple as “Go Zags” and “Bulldog Rangers lead the way.” 

Their experience at JBLM left many hurting in the days after the competition. Plagued with blisters, aches and pains the cadets, will be resting for the next week or more.

“There are people right now that went above and beyond and are limping around today. A few went to urgent care on Monday. We have to heal, No. 1,” said ROTC instructor, adviser and Ranger Challenge team coach Dr. Westfield.

The Bulldog Ranger team will be one of 60 teams from around the world competing at Sandhurst.

Sandhurst will hold an approximate 38-mile competition, as well as the opportunity for cadets from all over the world to make connections and relationships. 

“It’s heartwarming to see so many people from all over the world,” Westfield said.

“It’s really neat seeing all the other countries that are represented there,” Hylden said. “Last year I traded a patch with a kid from South Korea … I don’t think he spoke any English.” 

Not only are the cadets competing, but they will go to lectures and debates pertaining to the work the cadets will eventually be doing after commissioning from their respective organizations. 

But Novak, a senior, said being a part of the Ranger Challenge Team is all about his teammates. 

“The brotherhood, the camaraderie with the men and women on the team,” Novak said.“We’re the sort of group that you’d go to hell and back with and they’d stick by you the whole way through, and that’s something special.” 

The GU Ranger Challenge team will be back in action on April 8-9, 2017. 

This piece was published for the Gonzaga Bulletin. For the original post, click here.