Army West Point Quarterback CDT Mikal Willeke '24 was named the Collegiate Sprint Football League CSFL Offensive Player of the Week for the first time this season announced on Monday. CDT Willeke '24 completed 13 of 18 attempts for 255 yards in the 54-6 win against Mansfield on October 21. The Tampa, Fla. native also registered three touchdowns. CDT Sammy Whipple '23 also received honor roll acknowledgment for Defensive Player of the Week. Read More.

CDT Skye Williams '23 from D1 and the current Regimental T Rep has been selected for this year's LTG Hal Moore Warrior Athlete of Excellence Award. Her dedication to the Warrior Ethos and commitment to character is an inspiration to those around her and this award is well deserved. The awards ceremony will occur in the Thayer Award Room in Taylor Hall, at 1300 on Nov 9, 2022 and also at the Army vs. UCONN Home Football Game Nov 19. The Department of Physical Education selects and recognizes two 1st class cadets (one man and one woman) who best exemplify the qualities of LTG Hal Moore (mental toughness, perseverance, winning spirit, humility) and the tenets of warrior ethos in the Department of Physical Education competitive sports and combatives programs. LTG Moore graduated from West Point in 1945. In November of 1965, LTG Moore and his under strength battalion of 450 Soldiers fought and won the first major battle of the Vietnam War against over 2,000 North Vietnamese Regulars.

Cadets from EV310, Aquatic Science, participated in the 20th Annual "A Day in the Life of the Hudson River" event, an annual Citizen Science program that celebrates the Hudson River Estuary and educates participants on its uniqueness. This year, over 200 local students and parents became West Point 'scientists for the day' through the all-day outreach event, with our Cadets teaching the young scientists about the surrounding environment and inspiring them to make an impact. The program is sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and is a means for students to better understand the health of the Hudson River from the Hudson Harbor in New York City north to the Troy Dam in Troy, New York.

GENE’s Environmental Engineering majors in EV402, Biochemical Treatment, tied their classroom knowledge to real-world application as they toured the Target Hill Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Team ARES and members of the Model Rocketry Club were given the chance to tour the Wallops Island NASA Launch Complex. While there, cadets learned about hypersonic weapon development as well as the process of launch testing and developing vehicles and payloads! Out-of-classroom opportunities like this visit are made possible by donors supporting the Margin of Excellence.

GENE Cadets in EV471 Ecology visited the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) in South Salem, New York, to learn about the ecology and conservation of North American wolves. The WCC is home to 33 wolves as part of the federal recovery programs for the Mexican gray wolf and the red wolf. Cadets learned about the challenges of captive management, the importance of community engagement when reintroducing top predators, and the critical roles that scientists have in the process. Out-of-classroom opportunities like this visit are made possible by donors supporting the Margin of Excellence. 

Army West Point divers CDT Minh Donnell '25 and CDT Isaac Newman '25 were named the Patriot League Women's and Men's Diver of the Week for the first time this season announced on Tuesday. CDT Clara Williams '25 and CDT Alex Edwards '25 also received honorable mention acknowledgment for Patriot League Swimmer of the Week. Read More.

The West Point Negotiation Project conducted a trip section to engage with experienced and professional negotiators across the government and the private sector. On October 3, 16 cadets conducted a day-long engagement with the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) and Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU) to understand the role crisis negotiators serve in resolving critical response events in the U.S. On Oct. 4, cadets engaged with Ambassador Roger Carstens, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and the Hostage Rescue Fusion Cell. During the engagement, cadets discussed building relationships to facilitate negotiations and government processes for negotiating with state and non-state actors. Finally, cadets finished the trip section by meeting Mr. Ron Shapiro at his office in Baltimore. Ron is a New York Times bestselling author and prominent negotiation expert. Ron discussed his processes for a successful negotiation and shared lessons learned from his fifty years of experience as a lawyer and prominent baseball agent. Out-of-classroom opportunities like this visit are made possible by donors supporting the Margin of Excellence.

History Department instructor, Captain Kevin Zhang led fourteen cadets from the Asian Pacific Forum to Washington DC where they participated in the Pan Pacific American Leader and Mentorship (PPALM) conference that occurred during the annual Association of the US Army conference. At PPALM cadets had the opportunity to interact with senior leaders such as the Undersecretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones, GEN(R) Eric Shinseki, and LTG(R) David Huntoon among many others. Cadets also visited many of the museum's housing some of our nation's greatest cultural and historic treasures in the capital, including the aircraft that GEN Benjamin O. Davis, and many other Tuskegee airmen first trained on. Out-of-classroom opportunities like this visit are made possible by donors supporting the Margin of Excellence. 

During week 8 of their semester abroad Team Kazakhstan and all the students from the American Counsels RLASP in Almaty went on an excursion to Southern Kazakhstan. Cadets and students spent three full days seeing all that the region had to offer. The group toured Mausoleum Domalak-ana, a historical and religious landmark, the Akmechet Cave, a sacred cultural location known throughout Central Asia, the Aksu Canyon, which gave the cadets a better understanding of Southern Kazakhstan’s geography. They also visited Turkistan, where they visited archeological sites and ancient ruins in the area, as well as the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi which was built all the way back in 1389 and is world-famous as a mass pilgrimage site. This trip was an amazing opportunity for the cadets to connect their linguistic and historical/cultural education, they discussed the significance of the places and things they saw in the target language with the tour guides as well as language partners. Out-of-classroom opportunities like this visit are made possible by donors supporting the Margin of Excellence.

The ARES Team and the West Point Model Rocketry Club participated in an exciting STEM outreach event today! Cadets taught students from the Highland Falls Intermediate School CONNECT After School Program simple machines and then launched stomp rockets to further students' understanding of forces and work. USMA ARES and West Point Model Rocketry Club are happy to have successfully impacted over 80 young future engineers during this event. Opportunities like these clubs are made possible by the Margin of Excellence.

Closing out their regular season home schedule with the annual Star Match, the Black Knights defeated the Navy Midshipmen 2-0, with goals from CDT Kaitlin Palaian '24 and CDT Kaelan Bradley '25 on Saturday night. Read More.

Cadets from USMA's Sandhurst teams traveled to the United Kingdom to participate in the 2022 Exercise Cambrian Patrol, a premier patrolling event held in Wales and hosted by Headquarters 160th Welsh Brigade. Our cadets earned bronze for their performance, and no international team placed higher than silver with some very impressive international units in attendance. There were other U.S. teams in attendance that didn’t finish the exercise. Cadets competed against 1,000 other soldiers from regular, reserve, and overseas military units from across the world. The mission of the patrol is to provide a challenging World Class patrol exercise to confirm and enhance basic training standards and mission capability of soldiers in preparation for future operations.

NASA officially recognized Team ARES, along with 30+ other top university teams, as a competitor for the 2022-23 Student Rocket Launch. CDT Pavel Shilenko ‘25 and MAJ Robert Perez ‘10 became certified level 1 and 2 members, respectively, with the National Association of Rocketry making them eligible to compete in the NASA Student Launch Competition. Opportunities like these are made possible by the #MarginOfExcellence. Read More.

Junior co-captain CDT Jalen Rucker '24 has been selected to the 2022-23 Patriot League Preseason All-League Team announced on Wednesday. CDT Rucker '24 turned into one of the most prolific sharpshooters in the league during his sophomore campaign last season. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Baltimore native led the conference in 3-pointers made, 3-pointers per game and 3-point field goal percentage. CDT Rucker '24 led Army and was fourth in the conference in scoring with a career-high 17.1 points per game. He ended the season scoring in double figures in 15 straight games, including tying a career-high with a game-high 29 points against Colgate on February 16. He had 11 20-point games which were third-most in the league and his 12 made field goals at Lehigh in the Patriot League Quarterfinals were the most by a Black Knight last season. Read More.

Wrestling with legal questions on how to use high-energy lasers to strike low-orbiting satellites. Designing and testing a hypersonic rocket test vehicle to cross the 100 kilometer line. These are key future warfare problems that need solutions. But it is not colonels or generals in the Pentagon or some underground research facility doing the work; it’s cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point piecing the puzzle together. The above scenarios, involving CDT Ashley Clegg '23 and CDT Mackenzie Arns '23 on lasers and law and CDT Josiah Gibson '23 on hypersonics, are only a sample of a list of complex work that cadets now undertake at the Army’s premiere university. The work has not-yet-minted Army officers looking deeply at technical and ethical questions and producing solutions, BG Shane Reeves '96, dean of the U.S. Military Academy, told Army Times. The institution continues with its centuries-old basic military leadership and liberal arts education, the foundations for critical thinking needed even more than in the past, he said. “We don’t intellectually coddle them, we can’t afford it,” Reeves said. Read More.

British Army LTG Sir Ralph Wooddissee, Commander Field Army, visited USMA to deliver the 76th annual Kermit Roosevelt Lecture to Class of '24. He spoke about the importance of the American/British alliance in a rapidly changing world. Read More.

Eleven cadets took their academic acumen on the road recently to participate in the 2023 SOCOM Ignite Kickoff at MIT. In all, over 70 ROTC and West Point cadets worked to develop innovative solutions to SOCOM-submitted technical challenges. The event brought together West Point cadets and ROTC cadets from MIT, Harvard, Texas Tech, Notre Dame and several other schools along with officers in the 75th Innovation Command and technical experts from MIT Lincoln Lab. Out-of-classroom opportunities like this visit are made possible by donors supporting the #MarginOfExcellence. Read More.

The Army West Point golf team won it's third-straight Star Match at West Point Golf Course with an 7-4 victory after earning 4.5 points in Saturday's singles matches. The Black Knights had a 2.5 - 1.5 point lead heading into Saturday's matches and continued the momentum to earn their fourth Star in the last five matchups. With the win, Army now has a 3-1 lead in this year's Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA. Read More.

Army West Point men's soccer took down archrival Navy by a score of 2-0 in the Army-Navy Cup XI to secure the win in the star series and pick up three points in the Patriot League. CDT Gage Guerra ‘25 and CDT Brandon Bryant ‘25 provided the goals, with CDT Tomas Hut ‘25 notching the shutout with two saves. Read More.

In honor of Veterans Day the West Point Cadet Boxing Team, will face the Southern New England Golden Gloves Boxing Team on November 19, at the Fall River, MA, PAL Hall. The cadets coach is Jerry Hart '93, a former Golden Gloves champion. The roster consists of 15 females and 18 males. Boxing is a required course for all West Point Cadets, female and male.  Read more.

The Black Knights soundly defeated the University of Pennsylvania Quakers 40-0 on Sep 30, to improve 2-1 on the season. Quarterback CDT Mikal Willeke ’24 set another season-high in passing with 303 yards. CDT Donovan Mannion ’23 finished the game with a season-high 101 receiving yards, and CDT Traye Carson ’24 finished the night with 122 yards. Read more.

Army West Point men's soccer yearling CDT Gage Guerra ’25 has been named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week. CDT Guerra ’25 scored a first-half brace against Boston University, helping Army earn a point on the road. It marks the second consecutive week that CDT Guerra ’25 has earned the award, after scoring five goals across Army's first three conference games. Read more.

The Army West Point Women’s Tennis Team wrapped up a successful weekend hosting the annual West Point Invitational, the largest tournament on the East Coast, with CDTs Julia Kelly ’25 and Emma Sy ’26 setting the pace as the Black Knights claimed three championship titles in closing out the three-day invite. Kelly, who had a hand in claiming two titles, teamed with CDT Jenna Sabile ’25 in capturing the B doubles final at Malek Courts, then a few hours later she bested her opponent to capture the C singles championship that was moved indoors to Lichtenberg Tennis Center because of weather. Read more.

The West Point Triathlon Club dominated their age group categories and had several place within the overall finishers in the Olympic distance race at the Toughman Triathlon series in Stony Point, NY. All five cadets who completed the long course (70.3 miles) qualified to compete on Team USA next year at the World Championship. The Club was number one in every category for the Northeast Collegiate Triathlon Club awards for the year 2022, including top club overall.

Over 1,000 cadets, faculty, and staff participated in the 2022 5K Tunnel to Towers run in New York City. The event symbolizes Stephen Siller’s final footsteps from the foot of Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers and pays homage to the 343 FDNY firefighters, law enforcement officers, and thousands of civilians who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. This year, Superintendent, LTG Steve Gilland ’90 and Deputy Brigade Commander, Cadet Kai Youngren ’23, led the formation during the run and spoke about the importance of remembering and honoring those who lost their lives on 9-11.

Army West Point Men’s Swim and Dive Team dominated UNCW to remain undefeated, now 2-0 in the season. Coming out strong and in many events placing in the top three spots. CDT Sam Wesley ’23 finished first the 200 IM with a time of 1:49.71, first in the 200 Back with a time of 1:47.24, and CDT Evan Yoo ’25 also finished first in the 200 breast with a time of 1:59.72. CDT Jack Pogue ’25 finished first in the 200 butterfly. CDT Minh Donnell ’25 finished first for Women’s Swim and Dive in the 1 Meter dive with a score of 235.15. Read more.

Army West Point Women’s Soccer battled to a 1-1 draw against Loyola Maryland. The Black Knights used a late goal by CDT Keira Vesy ’25 in the 86th minute of the second half to even the score. Throughout the first half both teams were defensively sound and Black Knights Goalkeeper CDT Sage Strohman ’25 had two saves in the first half. The Black Knights remain unbeaten in Patriot League Conference play with a draw against the Greyhounds. Read more.

Army West Point Volleyball notched its fifth straight win with a 3-1 victory at Lehigh. After falling in the first set, 25-21, the Black Knights bounced back by winning the next three sets. Army was impressive in the second set, finishing with a match-best .462 hitting percentage while holding Lehigh to a -.037 hitting percentage. Army tied the match at 1-1 after winning the second set, 25-11. Read more.

Eleven cadets attended the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Ignite Hackathon hosted by the MIT Lincoln Lab, 75th Innovation Command and USASOC. The cadets collaborated with ROTC cadets from 17 other universities to identify innovative solutions to various problems related to data fusion, autonomous vehicles, resource allocation, communications, and batteries. Out-of-classroom opportunities like this are made possible by donors supporting the Margin of Excellence.

Army Men’s Rugby improved to 3-0 on the season with a 45-15 victory over the Notre Dame College Falcons. The Black Knights outscored the Falcons, 45-5, in the final 48 minutes. Notre Dame College jumped out to 10-0 after 29 minutes. Army got on the scoreboard with a try by Nathan Gould, but the Black Knights faced a 10-5 deficit at halftime. The second half was a different story as the Black Knights dominated the second frame. Read more.

Army West Point Men’s Soccer utilized three second-half goals for a comeback victory at Holy Cross. CDT Gage Guerra ’25 netted two goals to help the Black Knights to a 2-0 start to Patriot League play as Army extends its unbeaten streak to five games. Meeting for the first time since sixth-seeded Army knocked off the Crusaders in last season’s Patriot League Quarterfinals, the Black Knights struggled to find their footing in the first half. Read more.

CDT Kaelen Bradley’s ’25 goal with 52 seconds left in the game lifted the Army West Point Women’s Soccer Team to a 1-0 victory over the Holy Cross Crusaders. After a subdued first half with limiting scoring chances by both teams, the Black Knights kicked into high gear in the second half. Army outshot Holy Cross, 21-3, in the game including 15-3 in the second half. Read more.

Engineering Psychology sent two cadets on an Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) to intern with the Simulations & Training Technology Center (STTC) in Orlando, Florida. The STTC provides the Department of Defense with applied research to develop simulation technologies, build on current simulation knowledge, and understand system of systems environments where human, agent, and teams are involved. The team experienced some of the new technology the Army is developing to include medical canine trainers, artificial wound creation devices for mannequins, and haptic glove tourniquet training. Out-of-classroom opportunities like this are made possible by donors supporting the Margin of Excellence.

The Glee Club accomplished 12 hours of training at Camp Buckner in preparation for Fall season outreach performances in Orlando, Ramapo, NJ, Dallas, Salt Lake City, and NYC, in addition to ceremonial duties and taskers at West Point. With an annual turnover of a quarter or more of our members, the Fall Team-Building Practice Retreat is critical to mission success. Cadet leadership planned and executed all operations in support of a successful weekend of hard work and fun!

The Black and Gold Leadership Forum engaged with senior defense, diplomatic, and Army reserve leaders in Washington, DC earlier this month. These engagements provided Cadets and faculty with invaluable leadership lessons – along with perspective on Army strategy and its reserve components – that will undoubtedly shape their future leadership in the Army and in their journey to develop into strong leaders of character. The Black and Gold Leadership Forum provides Margin of Excellence opportunities for cadets to broaden their understanding of leadership by communicating with leaders from the public and private sectors.

In collaboration with the West Point Department of Physics & Nuclear Engineering, NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei held an evening lecture at Robinson Auditorium to share his interstellar experiences with the Corps of Cadets. During the lecture, Vande Hei discussed themes related to personal courage, overcoming obstacles, and understanding how to distinguish facts from the spread of misinformation. COL John Hartke, Department Head of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, presented a gift on behalf of the department and the academy.

Congratulations to Cadet Erica Esterly ’24 for recently swimming 25 miles across the Catalina Channel in 12 hours! she said the intense salt water, the strong currents, and the disorientating feeling from being unable to see land for a long period made it even more challenging than she anticipated, which makes her accomplishment all the more impressive! She truly demonstrates the balance of a strong mind and a strong body!

The Army West Point Men’s Rugby team collected its second straight win to start the season with a 28-12 result over the Queens Royals. The Black Knights roared out to a 21-0 lead at halftime. CDT Larry Williams Jr. ’23 opened the scoring with a try at the three-minute mark and CDT Jonny Haley ’23 scored a conversion for a 7-0 lead. Read more.

Army West Point Football will be hosted by the Air Force Academy at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium during the 2023 football season. The announcement was made by the Denver Broncos' public relations department following the team’s 16-9 victory over the Houston Texans. Air Force and Army will play in Denver on November 4, next year. Read more.

The Army-Navy Soccer Cup XI will return to Subaru Park for the 11th installment of the storied match on October 7 at 7pm. Philadelphia Union has played host to the Army-Navy Cup since its inaugural match in 2012, with Army currently leading the series at 4-3-3 across 10 editions. Read more.

Army West Point Men's Soccer CDT Cooper Warren ’23 has been named Patriot League midfielder of the week. Warren helped Army to a 1-1 draw at Seton Hall and 2-1 victory to open conference play against Loyola, playing all 180 minutes across the two games. Warren provided the assist on Army’s goal against the Pirates, whipping in a free kick that was finished off by CDT Nick Atkinson ’24 to give the Black Knights a lead. Read more.

The Army West Point Women’s Tennis Team sent two different sets of Cadets to compete at the invitational. The Black Knights dominated the competition, posting a 20-3 record in singles and 9-2 record in doubles. Five Black Knights went 3-0 in singles competition. Cadets Maria Drobotova ’26 and Isabella Brilliant ’26 each went 2-1 in singles play. Read more.

Army West Point Hockey has been selected sixth in the Atlantic Hockey preseason coaches’ poll. The Black Knights are coming off the 2021-22 season which saw them finish third in the Atlantic Hockey regular season standings. Firstie captain CDT Anthony Firriolo ’23 and goaltender CDT Gavin Abric ’24 received votes for the Preseason All-Atlantic team, with Abric landing a vote for Preseason Player of the Year. The Black Knights return to action at home on October 2 at 4pm, taking on Union College at Tate Rink. Read more.

With the 49-10 victory over the Villanova Wildcats, Head Coach Jeff Monken logged his 59th career win at Army West Point, breaking the tie and surpassing the legendary Charles Daly for No. 2 on the Academy’s all-time win list. Monken, now only trails Earl “Red” Blaik (121 wins) in program history. On the afternoon Army dominated by way of the ground game, stacking up 472 total rushing yards, marking the first time since 2019 tailing over 450 rushing yards as a team. Read more.

The Army Black Knights secured a straight-set win over rival Navy in the annual Army-Navy Star Series. The Black Knights showed great resolve, technique, and power as they defeated their archrival in front of an electric crowd. In the opening set, Army trailed 5-1 but scored nine of the next 12 points. The Black Knights continued to add to their lead, eventually forcing a timeout at 16-10 after a kill by CDT Savannah Bray ’24. Read more.

Army Sprint Football came out firing on all cylinders to start the 2022 season vs. Cornell. Army scored 10 TDs, while totaling 530 yards of total offense and tacking on a safety to defeat Cornell, 72-0 at Shea Stadium. Army scored seven first half TDs, totaling 362 yards of total offense to lead, 51-0 at halftime. QB CDT Mikal Willeke ’24 got off to a fast start to lead the Army West Point Sprint offense, hitting WR CDT Devon Brown ’25 for a 15-yard TD for the first score of the season midway through the first quarter. Read more.

Cadets in Vision and Rhetoric recently attended the annual Peter Zhu Writing Retreat. The writing retreat provides respite from the demands of cadet life. During the retreat, cadets have focused time for deep, reflective writing and receive intensive mentorship sessions with faculty and alumni. This Margin of Excellence activity for cadets pays tribute to Peter’s legacy as a leader, cadet, and friend dedicated to helping others.

Army West Point Women’s Soccer opened its Patriot League schedule with a 1-0 victory over Lehigh at Malek Stadium. CDT Kaitlin Palaian ’24 provided the goal in the 6th minute for the Black Knights, which proved to be the winner. Kicking off the Patriot League campaign, it was the Black Knights who got out on the front foot at home. CDT Keira Vesy ’25 placed a long pass from her own half into the path of Kaitlin Palaian. Read more.

Army West Point Women’s and Men’s Cross Country took home second place at Iona’s Meet of Champions at Van Cortlandt Park. Cadets Georgia Jones ’24 and Claire Lewis ’26 paced the Black Knights with a pair of top-five finishes. Jones made her presence known in her first meet of the season, posting a time of 18:25.3 in the 5k race for a fourth-place individual finish. Army West Point Men’s Cross Country led by CDT Garrett Gough ’23 who tabbed his first collegiate first-place finish.

Army West Point Women’s Rugby took down Quinnipiac by a score of 24-19 to improve to 3-0 this season. The first half was a defensive battle, with the Black Knights finally breaking through in the 20th minute after great build-up play from CDT Emma Richards-Smith ’23 led to a CDT Codi Butt ’23 try. CDT Alissa Eisenhart ’26 made good on the conversion to put Army ahead, 7-0. Read more.

Army West Point Men’s Soccer took down Loyola Maryland by a score of 2-1 at Malek Stadium. Cadets Justin McStay ’23 and Gage Guerra ’25 provided goals for the Black Knights to knock off the defending Patriot League champion Greyhounds. CDT Cooper Warren ’23 stood over the corner and delivered a brilliant ball to the center of the six-yard box, with Justin McStay calmly heading in his second goal of the campaign. Read more.

History 101 cadets analyzed incredible primary source documents of the American Civil War in the Special Collections of Bartlett Hall. Some of the sources used for this exercise were letters home from West Point cadets, the Cadet Casualty record by the Superintendent, photos from the war, and Civil War era West Point textbooks.

After finishing second at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate Cadet Captain Dragon Theam ’23 was named the Patriot League’s Golfer of the Week. Theam was the top player for the Black Knights throughout the tournament and had two under par rounds to finish at 8-under par. He started out hot with a 6-under 65 with six birdies and he didn’t drop a shot throughout his entire round. He carded five birdies on the second day and only dropped shots on three of the 36 holes played. Read more.

Army West Point Men’s Soccer CDT Nick Atkinson ’24 has been named to Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. Atkinson has been a key part of Army’s recent success, helping anchor a backline that has allowed just one goal across the past three contests. Atkinson has played a full 90 minutes in all three games, scoring the game-winning goal against Florida Atlantic before his opening goal against Seton Hall. His three goals lead the Black Knights this season. Read more.

Firsties from the 1st and 2nd Regiments took one step closer to graduation, taking the Indoor Obstacle Course Test (IOCT) in Hayes Gym. The IOCT is a test of full-body functional physical fitness administered by the Department of Physical Education and considers it to be one of the best evaluations of total body fitness given in the Army. Photos.

Despite the rough start Army West Point Football’s offense saw several reasons to be optimistic focused around quarterback duo of CDT Tyhier Tyler ’23 and CDT Cade Ballard ’23 who combined for 13-18 passing for 307 yards and two TDs. It was Army’s first 300-yard passing game since 11/17/2007 vs. Tulsa. RB CDT Jakobi Buchanan ’24 also rumbled for two TDs and now has three TDs on the young season. Read more.

BG Mark Quander ’95, 79th Commandant of Cadets, presented Centurion Pins to 17 captains of Cadet Competitive Club Sports. In the ancient Roman Army, Soldiers were awarded the rank of “Centurion” based on their strength, size and skills, as well as years of dedicated military service. They would typically command legions of 100 men or more. Now, the Centurion Pin recognizes the accomplishments and dedication of competitive club team captains and the student athletic club coordinator and to amplify Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s quote “On the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other days and other fields will bear the fruit of victory.” Read more.

Army West Point Men’s Soccer drew 1-1 on the road against Seton Hall. CDT Josh Taylor ’23 made nine saves in goal for the Black Knights to limit the Pirates attack. Army West Point Women’s Soccer finished its non-conference schedule with a 1-1 draw at Iona. CDT Kaitlin Palaian ’24 provided the goal halfway through the first half.

The CE483, Design of Reinforced Concrete, lab program uses a hands-on approach to teach cadets how to design a concrete mixture to meet strength requirements and use modern laboratory equipment to measure the mechanical properties of the designed mix. The first three labs of the program include mix design, the tying of a reinforcing cage for a reinforced concrete beam and casting a reinforced concrete beam using their mix design. During the casting process cadets learn the test procedures used for quality control of concrete in the field.

CDT Dara Murray’s ’23 four-goal performance in two games has earned her Patriot League Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award. Dara Murray scored four goals in two games to help Army to a 1-0-1 week. Murray recorded her first career hat-trick in the 5-0 win over Wagner on September 8 Murray to become the first Black Knight in 20 years to net a hat-trick. She scored her first in the sixth minute and added her second goals 35 seconds later. Murray capped the hat-trick with a goal in the 57th minute. Read more.

Army West Point Men’s Soccer collected three Patriot League weekly awards following its 2-0 week featuring victories over Florida Atlantic and Sacred Heart. Cadets Nick Atkinson ’24 and Tomas Hut ’25 earned their first weekly honors of the season, while CDT Jacob Lee ’26 tabbed his second award in three weeks. Atkinson picked up where he left off last week, scoring a header to break the 0-0 tie against Florida Atlantic on his way to earning Defensive Player of the Week. Read more.

Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) Frank Kendall ’71, spoke to a small group of cadets about the strategic threat from China as well as the modernization of our own Air and Space forces. The dinner was hosted by John Graham ’87, and MAJ Galliand and CPT Simeroth, USAF scientists assigned to West Point along with select cadets from the Class of 2023 were in attendance. Both Galliand and Simeroth lead cadet project work in Hypersonics.

Army West Point Women’s Rugby took down Princeton by a score of 87-0 to improve to 2-0 on the season. The match marked the first varsity contest between the two after the Tigers joined the NIRA circuit ahead of the 2022 15s season. The Black Knights used a fast start to get out to a comfortable 47-0 lead at the half. CDT Codi Butt ’23 led the way for Army, totaling three tries and a conversion to total 17 points on the day. CDT Cecilia Ollis ’26 and CDT Christina Ellis ’24 joined Butt in scoring multiple tries, each tabbing a pair. Read more.

The Army Black Knights Volleyball Team wrapped up play at the Syracuse Tournament with a 3-0 victory over the Hofstra Pride. Army used a strong finish to take the first set which was the most competitive featuring 10 ties and four lead changes. After Hofstra tied the set at 21-21, CDT Julia Johnson ’25 answered with a kill and Army scored on the next play on an attacking error for a 23-21 lead and closed the set with a block by CDT Allanah Cutler ’24. Read more.

Army West Point Men’s Rugby kicked-off their 15s season with a 25-17 victory over the Kutztown Golden Bears. The Black Knights opened the scoring two minutes into the contest. CDT Maxwell Brown ’23 sprinted through the defense for the try, then Army drove the down field and CDT Adam Bazan ’23 scoring a try for a 10-7 lead at the 11:37 mark. CDT Tiaan Mosconi ’24 and CDT Jonny Haley ’24 added a try and a conversion, respectively, to give Army a 22-10 lead at halftime. Read more.

The Army Golf Team shot a 282 (-2) to finish 5-under for the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Tournament at Shuttle Meadow Country Club. Army’s CDT Dragon Theam ’23 finished in second place. Theam was the top player for the Black Knights throughout the tournament and shot a 2-under 69 on the tournament’s second day. Read more.

Army West Point Men’s Soccer used a late goal from CDT Joey Hickson ’24 to take down Sacred Heart by a score of 1-0 on the road. The victory gave the Black Knights its second consecutive win as CDT Tomas Hut ’25 tabbed his first solo clean sheet of the season. CDT Jack Meyer ’26 forced a save in the 17th of the first half. Read more.

CDT Dara Murray ’23 notched her first career hat-trick as the Army West Point Women’s Soccer Team ran rampant over the Wagner Seahawks in a 5-0 victory. After a four-game road trip that included two games in Colorado and two against top-25 teams (No. 11 Auburn, No. 25 Samford) the Black Knights returned home, Army wasted little time setting the tone. Read more.

Army West Point Men’s Soccer picked up its first victory of the season over Florida Atlantic University at Malek Stadium. The Black Knights used a pair of second half goals from CDT Nick Atkinson ’24 and CDT Jacob Lee ’26 to claim the 2-0 win while posting their first clean sheet of the season. It was another unfamiliar opponent for the Black Knights, taking on Florida Atlantic for the first time in program history. Read more.

Representatives from 17 Army branches across the country educate cadets about their respective career fields through displays across the Academy grounds. It’s an exciting time for cadets to think about what type of work they’ll be doing as commissioned officers in the U.S. Army. The Class of 2023 will find out their branches on December 1st!

Army West Point Men’s Cross Country CDT Erick Lara ’24 was named Patriot League runner of the week. Lara led the Black Knights to a 28-29 victory over Maine to open the season. His time of 24:50.6 was good for third place overall in the meet and was tops among Black Knights participating. The time was a personal best for 8 kilometers, as Lara’s finish was pivotal to propel Army to the narrow win. Read more.

Army West Point Women’s Rugby claimed a 62-7 victory over Mount Saint Mary’s to open the season at Anderson Rugby Complex. The Black Knights would score 57 unanswered points across the final 70 minutes after facing an early 7-5 deficit. The Black Knights wasted no time hitting the front to begin the 2022 15s season, going ahead 5-0 in the second minute via a penalty try awarded after Julia Riekena was fouled outside the try zone. Army’s lead would not last long, with the Mountaineers finding a seam down the left sideline to score a try and conversion and take a 7-5 lead in the eighth minute. However, the Black Knights were able to answer and never look back, with Gwynn Campos giving the home side a 12-7 advantage less than four minutes later after a Sydney Schaaf conversion. Read more.

The Army West Point Women’s Cross Country Team began the season with a convincing win against the Maine Black Bears. The Black Knights posted a perfect score of 15, with Army runners making up the entirety of the top-12 finishers for the meet. The Army West Point Men’s Cross Country Team opened the season with a victory over the Maine Black Bears as well paced by Cadets Erick Lara ’24 and Luke Lusskin ’24, who each tabbed top-four finishes in the race.

Army West Point Hockey Head Coach Brian Riley has announced the addition of Jack Riley to his staff as the Director of Hockey Operations ahead of the 2022-23 season. “We are really excited to add Jack to our staff,” said Brian Riley. “He has a passion for the Academy and the hockey program having been around them both pretty much all his life. There is no doubt that he will come in and make an immediate and positive impact with both our staff and the cadets.” Jack, a Hobey Baker nominee and Atlantic Hockey All-Conference selection during his playing career at Mercyhurst University, joins the program after most recently serving as an assistant coach at Albertus Magnus College. Read more.

Army West Point Volleyball had a slow start to the second day of the Black Knight Invitational dropping the first match 3-1 to Temple but rallied later in the day to take down UConn 3-1. CDT Mackenzie Lynch ’26 was named to the All-Tournament Team after an outstanding weekend producing 51 kills and 11 blocks. Read more.

The Class of 2023 received their West Point class rings at the Ring Ceremony as part of the Ring Weekend festivities. GEN Edward M. Daly ’87, 20th commanding General of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, delivered the keynote remarks at the banquet. Gold from rings donated through WPAOG's Ring Memorial program was used in the class rings, tangibly connecting the Class of 2023 to the Long Gray Line. At the Ring Ceremony, Commandant BG Mark Quander told the Class, “You all are a part of something much greater than yourselves. Your rings are forged from the legacy of 740 West Point graduates. It is a symbol—a bond, a commitment, a legacy.” View photos. See video.

WPAOG is accepting ring donations for the West Point Class of 2024's Ring Melt. The cut-off to donate a ring for their Ring Melt is October 1, 2022. Learn more.

Since 1835, West Point has recognized First Class cadets, during a ring ceremony to celebrate the accomplishment of reaching their senior year. This tradition will continue tomorrow evening at Trophy Point. This milestone in a cadet’s tenure signifies the prodigious commitment to join the Long Gray Line on graduation day. For the remainder of the year, the ring serves as a constant reminder of the work left to be accomplished leading them toward commissioning. It also signifies a cadet’s past, present and future, both at the academy and impending endeavors in the Army and beyond. Read more.

The Army West Point Boxing Team recently began tryouts. Army boxers endured the tryouts with sprints, bear crawls, and burpees down at Buffalo Soldier field. Take a glimpse of day two.

The Civil Engineering firsties kicked off their capstone projects with a team building exercise. The exercise challenged them to design a K’nex structure capable of holding a 3lb water balloon 14 inches above the table surface with the most efficient strength to weight ratio. As the cadets worked through the exercise, the steps of the Engineer Design Process were emphasized to prepare them to solve the complex problems given in their capstone projects.

CDT Andre Carter II ’23 has been named an Associated Press Preseason Second Team All-American. Carter became the first Black Knight to be named an AP All-American (Third Team) since 1990 after a breakout 2021 campaign. He set the program single-season sack record with 15.5, which were second in the nation; he added 44 total tackles, 18.5 tackles-for-loss, four forced fumbles, one blocked kick, and one interception in 13 games played. Read more.

Firstie captain CDT Emma Richey ’23 was named Patriot League Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after her stellar performance in the team’s opening week of the 2022 season. Richey started in the Black Knights’ two matches, totaling 166 minutes of action. She played a critical role in Army’s 1-1 draw with UConn and in the shutout win over FDU. Richey headed in not only her first career goal but the game-winning goal off a corner kick in the cadets’ victory over FDU. Read more.

What better way to learn about hydrology than rafting down the Delaware River? Last week cadets enrolled in CE380: Hydrology/Hydraulic Design learned about open channel flow firsthand while rafting down the Delaware River. The cadets also visited Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct, learning about its history and structural components. Some of the cadets even showed off the skills learned in Survival Swimming.

With less than six weeks away from puck drop at Tate Rink, Army West Point athletics has announced that single game tickets are now available for the Army Hockey 2022-23 season, in addition to mini-plan, group and season tickets. The Black Knights home slate features 20 contests, beginning with Union College on October 2. The home schedule includes an exhibition with the Under-18 United States National Development Team on October 23 and a pair of games against Air Force (January 27-28) as part of the Atlantic Hockey Association schedule. Read more.

Army West Point Women’s Soccer (1-0-1) captured its first victory of the 2022 season, by downing Fairleigh Dickinson (0-2-0) 2-0. Army had control of the match from the opening kick. The defensive line was stellar only allowing the Knights three shots in the contest, while Army recorded 14 shots in the first 45 minutes, netting two. Read more.

Kyle Pitts sat at a large round table, surrounded by USMA cadets. These Black Knights were all football players, hanging on every word, every story the Pro Bowl tight end told over lunch. Having a star player in their midst is a rarity, and the players took full advantage of access to such a genuine and approachable talent. Pitts wasn't the only one holding court. Full story.

The Civil Engineering Firsties were welcomed back with a boat cruise to the Bear Mountain Bridge on the Superintendent’s boat. A great night of conversation with members of the ASCE Mohawk-Hudson Section, comradery, and of course the sighting of an amazing suspension bridge.

Army West Point Volleyball was tabbed second in the 2022 Patriot League Preseason Poll while CDT Paige Fixemer ’25 was named to the seven-person Preseason All-League Team. Army received four first place votes and 110 points to claim second place in the poll. Colgate claimed the top spot with 124 points and 12 first place votes, and American in third with 105 points and two first place votes. Read more.

Economics hosted its annual Cow Loan Brief to educate Cadets on the terms, conditions, implications, and trade-offs of taking the Career Starter Loan (known as the Cow Loan) offered by USAA. Faculty broke down the financial decision faced by 2nd class Cadets to help them make the best individual choice possible. Approximately 50 Cadets attended in-person and over 400 attended via Teams Live. The Finance Club will be hosting a follow-up event later in the semester to provide individualized counseling to Cadets on how to budget their loans for upcoming major life events.

CDT Andre Carter II ’23 has been named to the CBS Sports Second-Team Defense Preseason All-American list. Carter became the first Black Knight to be named an AP All-American (Third Team) since 1990 after a breakout 2021 campaign. He set the program single-season sack record with 15.5, second in the nation; he added 44 total tackles, 18.5 tackles-for-loss, forced four fumbles, blocked one kick, and tallied one interception in 13 games played. Read more.

Army West Point Men’s Soccer has been selected sixth in the 2022 Patriot League Preseason Poll. Army enters the new campaign coming off the 2021 season which saw the Black Knights advance to a Patriot League Championship semifinal for the first time since 2018. The Black Knights open the season with a pair of road games at Michigan State on August 26 at 7pm. Read more.

The Directorate of Cadet Activities hosted Club Night at Eisenhower Hall. There are nearly 140 cadet clubs at West Point including athletic, recreational, academic, religious, hobby, and diversity clubs – something for virtually every interest, made possible by the Margin of Excellence.

Photo: Cadet Noah Murray ’25

The Class of 2024 affirmed their commitment to service on August 14, 2022 and took the Oath of Affirmation. Members of the Class of 1974, the 50-year Affiliation class, presented the cadets with commemorative coins to mark the occasion of their affirmed commitment. Ambassador Matthew S. Klimow ’74 was the guest speaker for the evening. “The Class of ’74 links arms with you now and forever—as long as one of us is still standing--in peace and in war. And even after the last of us is gone, we will grip hands with you from the shadows—brothers and sisters in arms—forever part of the Long Grey Line.” - Ambassador Matthew S. Klimow ’74. Photos.

On August 11, faculty and cadets were recognized and celebrated for academic excellence at the Superintendent’s Convocation Award Ceremony. This year’s Convocation speaker was GEN(R) Martin E. Dempsey ’74, 37th Chief of Staff of the Army and 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Cadet recognition included the Superintendent’s Award for Excellence (Top 5 percent military, physical, and academic pillars), the Superintendent’s Award for Achievement (Top 15 percent military, physical, and academic pillars), and the Distinguished Cadet Award (3.74-3.79 grade point average in academic pillar, depending on year group).

Firstie Cadets Lauren Drysdale ’23 and Emma Richey ’23 were named to the 2022 Patriot League Preseason All-League Team. Drysdale, a three-year starter in midfield, has garnered preseason all-league honors for the second straight season. The Irvine, CA native started in all 19 games last season and was third on the team in points (7) en route to earning 2021 All-Patriot League Second Team honors. She has been one of the most consistent players for the Black Knights. Read more.

The Space and Missile Defense School and the U.S. Military Academy offered the Army Space Cadre Basic Course to West Point and ROTC cadets to teach them the fundamentals of space capabilities, space systems and space organizations. The students learned how to support space Soldiers who perform unique space tasks and gained an understanding of their future as Army leaders. Read more.

The Corps of Cadets kick off the Friday before the first day of classes on a Brigade wide Corps run, led by First Captain, CDT Lauren E. Drysdale ’23. What a wonderful way to start the morning and build camaraderie! Go Army! Beat Navy! Photos.

New cadets from the Class of 2026 competed in the Crucible at Lake Frederick, wrapping up their Cadet Basic Training before their march back to West Point. Each cadet platoon had two hours to navigate to different lanes and complete three tasks, racking up as many points as possible in the allotted time. The locations farther out in the course were worth more points, but cadets had to manage their time because if they arrived after the two hours, their platoon would receive no points. Tasks included the buddy carry, properly throwing a grenade, properly reacting to an NBC threat, and completing a litter carry. Photos.

Cadet Lauren Drysdale ’23 has been selected First Captain of the Corps of Cadets for the 2022-2023 academic year, achieving the highest position in the cadet chain of command. Most recently, Drysdale served as the cadet basic training regimental command sergeant major. She was instrumental in transforming the new cadets of the class of 2026 during their cadet basic training. As First Captain, Drysdale is responsible for the overall performance of the approximately 4,400 member Corps of Cadets. Congratulations!

Congratulations to the members of the Class of 2026, who concluded their Cadet Basic Training with a 12-mile road march from Lake Frederick to West Point! West Point graduates joined the new cadets for their March Back, including graduates from their 50-Year Affiliation Class of 1976. The new cadets displayed a banner featuring their newly created class motto, “For Country We Commit.” Members of the Class of 2026 will be officially accepted into the Corps of Cadets during the Acceptance Day parade on August 13.

CDT Andre Carter II ’23 has been named to the Pro Football Network Second-Team Defense Preseason All-American list. Carter became the first Black Knight to be named an AP All-American (Third Team) since 1990 after a breakout 2021 campaign. He set the program single-season sack record with 15.5 which were second in the nation; he added 44 total tackles, 18.5 tackles-for-loss, forced four fumbles, blocked one kick, and tallied one interception in 13 games played. Read more.

Football closed out the first week of fall camp this past weekend. Hear from head coach Jeff Monken, co-captain CDT Marquel Broughton ’23 and CDT Isaiah Alston ’25 following the first four days of practice.

Army Black Knights Men’s Soccer welcomes 10 new faces to the program ahead of the 2022 season. The incoming plebes will join 19 returning cadets that helped the Black Knights reach the Patriot League Championship Semifinal in 2021. Read more.

Erica Esterly, a 20-year-old philosophy major from Scottsdale, AZ and a third-year cadet will swim 57 miles during the 40 Bridges Race on August 10. She is one of the youngest to attempt the 40 Bridges Race, sponsored by New York Open Water (NYOW), which involves two laps around Manhattan Island. A member of the Army West Point Swim and Dive Team, Erica successfully finished NYOW’s 20 Bridges Race - 28.5 miles and one lap around Manhattan - in September 2021 in 7:39 hours.  Read more.

The Class of 2026 began their march out toward Lake Frederick at 5am on August 3. Only a few more days until they “March Back” to Academy which signifies the end of Cadet Basic Training. Not long now!

Congratulations to the newest members of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club (SAMC) from Task Force Leader! Superintendent, LTG Steve Gilland ’90 and CSM Michael Coffey, the U.S. Military Academy command team, awarded SFC Charles Bell, SFC Class Daniel Dalton, and SFC Larry Ward with the Sergeant Audie Murphy Award (SAMA) on July 29 at Jefferson Hall. These Soldiers competed in a rigorous three-day event all over West Point to earn this highly coveted award. The SAMA is an award for noncommissioned officers whose leadership achievements and performance merit special recognition.

There was a time not all that long ago when Army was really, really struggling. It was having a rough time when head coach Jeff Monken took over in 2014. There’s been one blip over the last six seasons – going 5-8 in 2019 – but the systems are working, the team is coming off one of its strongest bowl wins ever – beating Missouri in the Armed Forces – and …This might be Monken’s best team yet. Read more.

Army West Point Women’s Soccer announced the nine members of the Class of 2026 that will be joining the roster. The nine newcomers will join 23 returners for the 2022 season that opens on August 18 when the Black Knights take on UConn at Malek Stadium. Read more.

This week, new cadets learned how to safely conduct basic mountaineering, displaying grit by rappelling down a 75-foot cliff and climbing up the adjacent rock face. Task Force Leader from 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3 BCT, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division - Air Assault and rappel masters from The Sabalauski Air Assault School taught cadets how to belay for their teammates, climb, and rappel. Photos.