Go back

Starting today: Austin Peay ROTC Ranger Challenge team competing at Sandhurst

Austin Peay’s ROTC Ranger Challenge team will compete at Sandhurst, the world’s premier international academy military skills competition, starting today.  The team will be one of the teams who earned a spot to compete at this year’s prestigious competition, which runs through the weekend.  The team last competed at Sandhurst, hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 2019. The event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.  Check www.apsu.edu/news for updates on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. You also can follow the team’s progress at West Point’s Sandhurst page.  Who’s on the team  Ryan Nanzer is the captain of the team. He and five other ROTC students return from last year’s team. They are:  • Thomas Rose. • Shawn King. • Cherady Fine. • Zachary Labas. • Thomas Porter.  The other members of the team who traveled to West Point are:  • Quinton Nunn. • Thomas Haas. • Dylan Dominique. • Christopher Mains. • Angela Kim.  Mark Harrington II is the team’s alternate.  The team has been rigorously training for Sandhurst by conducting dismounted foot marches, weight training, running, and individual and group skills training, said Lt. Col. Mark Barton, the professor of military science for Austin Peay’s ROTC program.  ‘Tenacity and grit of future military leaders’  The U.S. Military Academy has hosted the competition since 1967, and it has grown to include teams from across the country and the world. The competition takes the cadets through a rigorous 36-hour course “to test warrior spirit, team cohesion and dedication to mission accomplishment.”  The course covers 16 events across 27 miles and tests individual and squad military skill mastery.  This year, 16 Reserve Officer Training Corps programs, 25 U.S. Military Academy teams and three teams from other U.S. service academies. International teams are not competing this year because of COVID-19 restrictions.  The Austin Peay team earned its spot at Sandhurst by winning the 7th Brigade ROTC Bold Warrior Challenge in October 2019 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Austin Peay defeated 37 schools from Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.  To learn more  • To learn more about Austin Peay’s ROTC program, go to https://www.apsu.edu/rotc. • For more about the Sandhurst competition, visit https://www.westpoint.edu/military/department-of-military-instruction/sandhurst.
The team at Sandhurst earlier this week.

(Posted April 16, 2021)

Austin Peay’s ROTC Ranger Challenge team will compete at Sandhurst, the world’s premier international academy military skills competition, starting today.

The team will be one of the teams who earned a spot to compete at this year’s prestigious competition, which runs through the weekend.

The team last competed at Sandhurst, hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 2019. The event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

Check www.apsu.edu/news for updates on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. You also can follow the team’s progress at West Point’s Sandhurst page.

Who’s on the team

Ryan Nanzer is the captain of the team. He and five other ROTC students return from last year’s team. They are:

The other members of the team who traveled to West Point are:

Mark Harrington II is the team’s alternate.

The team has been rigorously training for Sandhurst by conducting dismounted foot marches, weight training, running, and individual and group skills training, said Lt. Col. Mark Barton, the professor of military science for Austin Peay’s ROTC program.

Austin Peay’s ROTC Ranger Challenge team will compete at Sandhurst, the world’s premier international academy military skills competition, starting today.  The team will be one of the teams who earned a spot to compete at this year’s prestigious competition, which runs through the weekend.  The team last competed at Sandhurst, hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 2019. The event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.  Check www.apsu.edu/news for updates on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. You also can follow the team’s progress at West Point’s Sandhurst page.  Who’s on the team  Ryan Nanzer is the captain of the team. He and five other ROTC students return from last year’s team. They are:  • Thomas Rose. • Shawn King. • Cherady Fine. • Zachary Labas. • Thomas Porter.  The other members of the team who traveled to West Point are:  • Quinton Nunn. • Thomas Haas. • Dylan Dominique. • Christopher Mains. • Angela Kim.  Mark Harrington II is the team’s alternate.  The team has been rigorously training for Sandhurst by conducting dismounted foot marches, weight training, running, and individual and group skills training, said Lt. Col. Mark Barton, the professor of military science for Austin Peay’s ROTC program.  ‘Tenacity and grit of future military leaders’  The U.S. Military Academy has hosted the competition since 1967, and it has grown to include teams from across the country and the world. The competition takes the cadets through a rigorous 36-hour course “to test warrior spirit, team cohesion and dedication to mission accomplishment.”  The course covers 16 events across 27 miles and tests individual and squad military skill mastery.  This year, 16 Reserve Officer Training Corps programs, 25 U.S. Military Academy teams and three teams from other U.S. service academies. International teams are not competing this year because of COVID-19 restrictions.  The Austin Peay team earned its spot at Sandhurst by winning the 7th Brigade ROTC Bold Warrior Challenge in October 2019 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Austin Peay defeated 37 schools from Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.  To learn more  • To learn more about Austin Peay’s ROTC program, go to https://www.apsu.edu/rotc. • For more about the Sandhurst competition, visit https://www.westpoint.edu/military/department-of-military-instruction/sandhurst.
The team prepares for Sandhurst earlier this year.

About the competition

The U.S. Military Academy has hosted the competition since 1967, and it has grown to include teams from across the country and the world. The competition takes the cadets through a rigorous 36-hour course “to test warrior spirit, team cohesion and dedication to mission accomplishment.”

The course covers 16 events across 27 miles and tests individual and squad military skill mastery.

This year, 16 Reserve Officer Training Corps programs, 25 U.S. Military Academy teams and three teams from other U.S. service academies. International teams are not competing this year because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Austin Peay team earned its spot at Sandhurst by winning the 7th Brigade ROTC Bold Warrior Challenge in October 2019 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Austin Peay defeated 37 schools from Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

To learn more

News Feed

View All News
APSU Political Science student earns $90,000 law school scholarship through accelerated 3+3 program
APSU Political Science student earns $90,000 law school scholarship through accelerated 3+3 program

APSU student Noah Janecek earned a $90,000 scholarship to LMU Duncan School of Law through the accelerated 3+3 program. Complete your bachelor's and law degree in just six years, saving a year of time and tuition on your fast-track legal career.

Read More
The Man Behind the Mascot: AJ Crowder
The Man Behind the Mascot: AJ Crowder

AJ Crowder, Austin Peay's first scholarship mascot, is graduating and moving on to a career in professional sports management. Learn how the man behind The Gov redefined game-day energy, won a national championship, and now carries the lessons learned into his next chapter.

Read More
"I just needed one person to believe in me": APSU social worker reflects on National Foster Care Month

APSU social work instructor Jessie Wiser overcame instability in Tennessee's foster care system to become an advocate. This National Foster Care Month, learn how one person's belief transformed her life and now inspires future social workers in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences.

Read More