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Austin Peay State University ROTC cadets to compete at Xavier in run-up to Sandhurst

Austin Peay State University - APSUClarksville, TN – Last October, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) ROTC Ranger Challenge team dominated at the Bold Warrior Challenge at Fort Knox, Kentucky. 

Austin Peay State University ROTC cadet Jasmine Barrios, right, is competing at Xavier this weekend. (APSU)
Austin Peay State University ROTC cadet Jasmine Barrios, right, is competing at Xavier this weekend. (APSU)

That victory qualified the team for the second straight year for April’s globally renowned Sandhurst military skills competition at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

At last year’s competition, the cadets finished 29th against the best teams from the U.S. service academies and from academies across the world.

To improve on that finish, the team is sending eight ROTC cadets to February 15th’s Xavier University Ranger Challenge. Those eight will vie for the final four spots on the Sandhurst team. 

“We’re using the Xavier competition as an assessment to figure out who we need to bulk up our team for Sandhurst,” ROTC Cadet Ryan Nanzer. “I honestly think our team is pretty stacked right now.

“We’ve been training our butts off, trying to get in shape. I’m excited to see what happens.”

Meet the cadets competing at Xavier 

Nanzer has earned his spot on the Sandhurst team, along with six other cadets, most of them veterans from last year’s competition. The eight cadets heading to Xavier have not.

They’ll compete in teams of two at Xavier.

The cadets are:

  • Shawn King and Ian Fearn.
  • Madison Ellis and Joshua Forrest.
  • Jasmine Barrios and Dylan Dominique.
  • Cherady Fine and Kaitlyn Hughes.

They know they’re representing Austin Peay State University at a competition of universities from across Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. But they also know they’re competing against each other to make the Sandhurst team.

“From the beginning of the semester, I feel like I’ve been working pretty hard,” said King, who’s studying computer science at Austin Peay State University. “I get a shot at competing at the next level, at Sandhurst. Aside from my studies, that’s top priority right now.” 

Fine, who’s studying chemistry, agreed: “It will be interesting going into this competition. I think this will be a new experience for us because we’ll be competing against everyone else and against ourselves.”

The cadets will endure 13 hours of nonstop Army skills tests, it will be “Go, go, go,” Fine said. “But this semester, we’ve been preparing for this. It’s about teamwork, everything as a team.”

Ellis, who’s studying criminal justice, added: “We’ve been up every morning at 5:00am. We’ve run, we’ve rucked as a team because it’s a team sport, you’re only as fast as your slowest person.”

Last year’s Sandhurst competition team. (APSU)
Last year’s Sandhurst competition team. (APSU)

The cadets want to win at Xavier for Austin Peay State University. 

“We’re going to compete to win, but we’re also competing against ourselves to see who makes Sandhurst,” King said. 

Added Barrios, a communication major: “We’re going to remember that we’re all one team, but at the same time, in the back of our minds, we’ll know our partner is our competition. That’s going to be difficult for me.” 

To learn more about the Austin Peay State University ROTC program, go to www.apsu.edu/rotc/.

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