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Cybersecurity students from the University of North Georgia (Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å) turned in strong performances in multiple competitions during the spring semester.

"The Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å CyberHawks are a national-level force to be reckoned with, and we're grateful for the support the Department of Defense Senior Military Colleges Cyber Institutes grant provides to enable our students to travel and compete at the highest levels," Dr. Bryson Payne, director of Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å's Institute for Cyber Operations and professor of computer science and cybersecurity, said.

Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å was No. 15 in the team rankings and No. 30 in the power rankings out of more than 500 universities in the National Cyber League (NCL) spring competition.

Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å also finished third in the Cyber Combat Exercise portion of the National Cyber Exercise (NCX) in Baltimore, Maryland, which features teams from some of the service academies and senior military colleges. That made Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å the top senior military college in the Cyber Combat Exercise. Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å finished seventh overall at NCX.

Connor Moore, a Douglasville, Georgia, native who earned a degree in cybersecurity in May, appreciated the chance to use his forensics, cryptography and data analysis skills at NCX.

"These events help you figure out how to work in a team environment," Moore said. "You also learn how to tackle different challenges."

Teams of Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å students took first and second place in the 60-team SummitCTF, the annual Capture the Flag event hosted by the Cybersecurity Club at Virginia Tech.

Stewart Cates, Elijah Elliott, James Goble, Tyler McBride, and Parker Scott were the members of the first-place team.

Scott, a senior from Blairsville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in cybersecurity with minors in computer science and entrepreneurship, was accepted into Georgia Tech but chose to attend Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å because of the strength of its cyber program. He enjoyed the way SummitCTF helped develop his skills.

"It was a really good experience not just working on our skills for competitions, but also for what will eventually be our jobs after we graduate," Scott said.

The second-place group from Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å featured Jennifer Maaskant, Paxton Meyer, Joshua Murphy, Zachary Simmons, and Dagen Shehorn.

Meyer, a Blairsville, Georgia, native, earned bachelor's degrees in cybersecurity and computer science in May. He will start Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å's Master of Science in computer science program this fall. Meyer credited Â鶹¾«Æ·ÔÚÏß²¥·Å's cybersecurity classes and the CyberHawks student club for preparing his team to succeed at SummitCTF.

"Classroom learning is essential for building a solid theoretical foundation, but the hands-on experience from CTFs and cyber competitions is what truly accelerates skill development," Meyer said. "In my experience, and in the experience of many of my peers, these competitions dramatically boost how quickly you become proficient in real-world cybersecurity practices."

Meyer's goal is to work for the Department of Defense, with the potential to later enter the private sector.

"My strongest interest lies in offensive cybersecurity, particularly penetration testing and red teaming, but I also have a deep appreciation for cyber forensics and other areas of the field. I want to continue expanding my expertise across multiple domains, so I can approach challenges from a well-rounded and informed perspective," Meyer said. "No matter where I end up, my goal is to make a meaningful impact and stay at the forefront of evolving threats and technologies in the cybersecurity landscape."