91福利社 was among the more than 500 colleges and universities to compete in the 56-hour event. During the last team challenge, AU鈥檚 Cyber League team achieved a perfect score and perfect accuracy to claim the national title.听听

The NCL Team Competition is a biannual cybersecurity competition designed for college students across the United States. It is one of the most recognized competitions in the field of cybersecurity education.听

To put it another way, think of the NCL as the Olympics for cybersecurity students. Teams compete by solving digital puzzles and defending against simulated virtual threats.听听

Dr. Brandon P. Grech, director of the 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity and cybersecurity competition coach, emphasized the collaborative effort behind the team鈥檚 success.听

鈥淲e are extremely proud of our cybersecurity students,鈥� Grech said. 鈥淭hey have been persistent and intentional in their personal, professional, and spiritual growth at Anderson. They are surrounded by people who have invested deeply in their development, including the Office of Christian Life, the Honors College, the Department of Mathematics, the College of Business and Economics, and the IT Department, among many others across the 91福利社 family. This achievement reflects the collective team effort of students, faculty, and staff across AU.鈥�听

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity in 2020 became one of the first private higher education academic programs for cybersecurity in South Carolina. It offers degree programs in cybersecurity; cybersecurity and analytics; cybersecurity and criminal justice; and cybersecurity and mathematics.听

Since then, AU鈥檚 Cyber League team has made its mark in national competitions. In addition to its national championship, AU consistently ranks among the best schools in the country, according to the National Cyber League Power Rankings. It has been a fixture in the national rankings since the program began in 2020. 91福利社 is the largest private university in the state of South Carolina.听

The national champion 91福利社 Cyber League team included: Aaron McCurry; Camden Sloan; Joshua Cordeiro; Kyle Beauregard; Charlie Paddock; Zachary Lee; and Noah Perricelli.听

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Participating in CDW from Anderson were Aaron Wilson, Andrew Dowlen, Brycen Morrison, Clark Hubbard, Ethan Green, Graham Edwards, Jadyn Koenes, Joshua Cordeiro, Joshua Stephens, Lawson Bryant and Nathan Dorrity.听

Student Winners听

Several students earned awards and accolades for their outstanding performance, demonstrating the preparation and professionalism that鈥檚 part of 91福利社鈥檚 pillar of Great Academics.听听

Jadyn Koenes received the Best Overall Leader Award, in recognition of her leading by example and consistently guiding and elevating the team.听

Brycen Morrison was a finalist in the Cisco Executive Proposition Pitch (Top 8 of 39).听

Graham Edwards received Best Networker Award for building meaningful connections with company leaders and peers. He was also a WWT Product-to-Personal Problem Pitch finalist (Top 8 of 39), team winner for WWT and Cisco and winner of the Cisco Product-to-Personal Pitch. 听

Joshua Stephens was named a finalist (Top 8 of 39) for the WWT Executive Value Proposition Pitch. He was also a finalist (Top 8 of 39) for the Cisco Product to Personal Pitch.听

Joshua Cordeiro was team winner (WWT and Cisco) and a finalist (Top 8 of 39) for the Cisco Product-to-Personal Pitch.听

Ethan Green was team winner for the Real-World Use Case Challenge (WWT and Cisco).听

Andrew Dowlen (pictured below with Scholar-AthELITE CEO and Founder Rashard Hall) received the Resilient Leader Award for demonstrating resilience and leadership when facing challenges. 听

Pursuing Professional Growth听

Working closely with Scholar-AthELITE CEO and Founder Rashard Hall and his team, the students found CDW to be a valuable growth opportunity. 听

鈥淭he scholar-athletes and cybersecurity students from 91福利社 set the tone for the entire trip. Once Cisco and World Wide Technology made it clear they wanted the best, that鈥檚 exactly what these students delivered,鈥� Hall said, adding that, less than a month after the trip, there are already several cybersecurity students who have interviewed for and secured career opportunities with听global companies. 听

鈥淭hat speaks volumes about the preparation, execution, and standard being set,鈥� Hall continued. 鈥淛adyn Koenes was one of the strongest leaders I鈥檝e seen on a trip like this. Graham Edwards and Joshua Stephens were true triple threats鈥攂lending technical expertise, strong communication, and high-level networking ability. The entire group was ELITE.听

What Dr. Kenneth Knapp, Karry Elson and Brandon Grech are doing in the cybersecurity classrooms, combined with what Anderson Athletics is building through the intentional integration of the Trojan Playbook, is setting them apart鈥攃reating a culture where scholar-athletes are not only prepared to compete, but to lead and succeed beyond the game.鈥�听

Student Reflections听

鈥淐areer Discovery Week granted me an opportunity to find my role in the executive space of the corporate world while finding my soul in the hearts of my colleagues,鈥� said Edwards. 鈥淩ashard not only poured into me professionally in encouraging my growth in communication and networking, he poured into me both personally and spiritually, reshaping my personal confidence and self-image.鈥�听

鈥淭his experience helped transform my self-esteem,鈥� said Koenes, who is pursuing听an internship with WWT this summer. 鈥淐areer Discovery Week changed the way I think about being part of a team. Organizations like Scholar-AthELITE create huge career opportunities for college students. Coach Britt saw something in me that I didn鈥檛 see in myself and helped me step into my talents confidently.鈥�听

鈥淐areer Discovery Week gave me insight into how the big tech businesses of the world function, and I learned and saw a lot of things that either I didn’t expect, or didn’t even think about,鈥� said Stephens. 鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled that 91福利社 partnered with Scholar-AthELITE to make this trip happen. It exceeded my expectations, and ultimately will serve as a milestone in both my education and career goal journey.鈥� 听

Stephens couldn鈥檛 have been more enthusiastic about Career Discovery Week.听

鈥淕o. You will learn, you will have fun, and you’ll have a safe space to step out of your comfort zone,鈥� he said.听

Networking听

Connecting with Cisco and World Wide Technology was a great way of gaining exposure to industry leaders, career opportunities and real-world business challenges, according to Brandon Grech of the AU Center for Cybersecurity. 听

鈥淚t was incredible to see these students arrive with passion and support for their future careers and their AthELITE cohoort,鈥� said Cisco Federal Marketing Manager Kelly Broadhurst. 鈥淭hey truly did their research and came with a strong sense of purpose.鈥�听

鈥淭he experience was transformational for both employees and students, and the connections I built with the students are something I deeply value,鈥� said World Wide Technology Global HR 鈥� Talent Acquisition University Recruiter Dora Moreira. 鈥淭he level of professionalism, thoughtful company research, personal pitches, insightful questions, and genuine gratitude moved me deeply.鈥�听

The post Cybersecurity Students Explore Cisco and Worldwide Technology in D.C. appeared first on 91福利社.

The NCL听competition, which听took place听this past听October, helps听students practice their skills learned in听Anderson鈥檚 Cybersecurity听program. Employers are often attracted to students听who听perform听well in these听competitions.听

Gov. McMaster鈥檚听proclamation states, 鈥淚t gives me听great pleasure听to congratulate you for placing fifth nationally in the fall 2025 National Cyber League (NCL) Cyber Power Rankings. With over 9,000 students from 549 colleges and universities across the country听participating听in this competition season, this is a great honor. The NCL competition is a wonderful opportunity to听showcase听individual skills, collaborative performance, and the desire to grow and learn as cybersecurity professionals. Peggy and I wish you all the best and congratulate your success.鈥�听

One of the top-performing AU cybersecurity students who made this recognition possible is听senior cybersecurity student听Aaron McCurry, who听has been competing in the National Cyber League competitions for 91福利社 since his听freshman听year. Throughout Aaron鈥檚 undergraduate journey, gaining hands-on experience and knowledge at AU, he landed two different internships at CrowdStrike throughout the past two summers.听

鈥淚 feel very blessed to be a part of such a great program, with elite professors and peers听to push听me to keep getting better. It is a privilege to have that here in a Christian environment at AU,” McCurry said.听

Upon graduation, McCurry has a signed job offer to work at CrowdStrike full-time as an Incident Response Associate Consultant.听

鈥淎aron is a great example of how AU cybersecurity students can be plugged in with their peers starting from the first semester and continue to hone their skills throughout the technical, hands-on experiences in the classroom and outside of the classroom in practicing for and competing in the national cybersecurity competitions,” said Cybersecurity Professor Brandon Grech. 鈥淎aron showcases how students can be听readily听prepared for the cybersecurity workforce upon graduation via personal development and听internships.鈥澨�听

McCurry recently placed number 9 in the nation and was one of four cybersecurity students trained at 91福利社 to place within the Top 15 against thousands of cybersecurity students across the country. More about this competition can be found at this link.听

The AU Center for Cybersecurity听听听
The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. The Center offers students the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available鈥�online.听

The post Governor McMaster Praises 91福利社 Cybersecurity Students appeared first on 91福利社.

Twenty-four students鈥�89 percent of the class鈥攅arned the CCP credential, the highest number since the听inception听of the Anderson Cybersecurity program.鈥���听鈥�听

The AWS CCP certification听demonstrates听that students have a strong foundational understanding of AWS cloud concepts, core services, and essential terminology. As AWS听remains听the world鈥檚 largest cloud computing provider, this credential affirms that Anderson students are developing the data security, network security, and access-control skills needed to work confidently in modern cloud environments.听鈥�听

Earning the CCP is also an important early step for students pursuing careers in cloud computing and cybersecurity.鈥�听

Dr Ken Knapp, the Director of the Anderson Cybersecurity Center elaborates, 鈥淓mployers consistently tell us they value this entry-level credential. 鈥疘t鈥檚听an advantage that can make听a big impact听when applying for internships and jobs.鈥� We are proud of our students鈥� hard work and excited to see where their cloud and cybersecurity skills take them next.鈥�听

鈥�听

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On October 23, Cybersecurity Professor Karry Elson, along with Cybersecurity students Thomas Cain and Branson Bailey, teamed up for a presentation to students at Landrum Middle School in Landrum, South Carolina. Educating听youth about pitfalls in technology and what to do if something negative happens to them is a community service that helps not only middle school students, but also the AU Cybersecurity students. In addition, they gave a couple of demonstrations as to how hackers may steal users’ information.鈥�听

According to Professor Elson, this is the second year they鈥檝e visited Landrum Middle School, adding that they hope to continue visiting every year.听

鈥淭he feedback from the teachers and principals after the events was very positive and we look forward to finding other opportunities in local communities to spread good cybersecurity practices, as well as promoting AU to prospective students,鈥� Professor Elson said. 听

The AU Center for Cybersecurity鈥�听

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. The Center offers students the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available online.鈥�鈥�听

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91福利社 Cybersecurity majors continue to gain impressive rankings in national Cyber League competitions.听

This semester, approximately 8,500 students from approximately 550 colleges and universities across the United States competed in National Cyber League (NCL) competition.听

91福利社 (SC) is currently out of the more than 500 colleges and universities across the United States, and schools in Canada who are coming into the national competition. According to Cybersecurity Professor Brandon Grech, this is the fifth semester in a row that AU cybersecurity students and teams have been ranked in the Top 20. And on top of that, 91福利社 has reclaimed the title as the highest ranked Christian institution in cybersecurity competition. 听

The competition鈥檚 rankings can be found online .

Individual Competition听

Against 4,601 students, 91福利社 (SC) had 41 students compete. Five AU students placed in the Top 20 against 4,601 students. Six AU students are ranked in the Top 40 with the following ranks:听

8. Eric Watkins (AU/KSU) (Splorpy)听

11. Joshua Karpus (KarpetK)

14. Camden Sloan (goPHISH)听

19. Graham Edwards (GCracker)

20. Josh Cordeiro (Herohunter@AU)

36. Aaron M. (at0m1c)

Impressive individual efforts were also made by Yawen Taylor, Kyle Beauregard, Ben Mullikin, Branson Bailey, Jaimee Sanders, Brycen Morrison, Ryan Welch, Noah Perricelli, Nathan Dorrity, Charlie Paddock, Joshua Stephens, Thomas Cain, Garrett Patterson, Joshua Barrus, David Montoya, Christopher Taylor, Zachary Lee, Konner Abercrombie, Caleb Boyter, Gentry Watson, Addie Wornom, Stephen Davis, Jack McCotter, Grayson Williams, Adam Bousquet, Michael Pavel, Cynthia Ray, Maximus McBride, Paulina Thornton, Jadyn Koenes, Cory Freeburn, Jenna Henry, Ethan Green, Adam Kayser and Andrew Blakney.

Team Competition
Against 1,176 teams, 91福利社 (SC) had nine teams compete鈥攖wo of them placed in the top 10 in the nation. Here are the rankings:听

9. AU_PH1SH3RSOFM3N

10. bebo@au

97. AUth.log

137. TheLastSSHipCrew@AU

185. PhantomTroupe

Impressive efforts were also made by 1337 Speak Only, Gotcha Gang, Anderson Cyber Corps, and 418: Teapot.听

AU students are doing an incredible job preparing for competitions and the workforce!听

鈥淥ur students keep telling us that 91福利社鈥檚 success in the NCL is making a real difference when it comes to landing internships and full-time jobs,” said AU Center for Cybersecurity Director Dr. Kenneth Knapp. 鈥淭hanks to the great coaching from Dr. Brandon Grech, AU has consistently ranked among the top schools nationally鈥攁nd I think that momentum will only grow. This kind of ranking stands out on a r茅sum茅, and our cybersecurity students should be proud of what they鈥檝e accomplished.鈥�听听

The AU Center for Cybersecurity听听

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. The Center offers students the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available鈥�online.听

The post 91福利社 (SC) Cybersecurity Students Ranked Sixth in the U.S., Also Top Cyber Program Among Christian Institutions appeared first on 91福利社.

Two such opportunities took place during February.听

One was held Ralph Chandler Middle School in Simpsonville, South Carolina. AU Cybersecurity student Andre Newton spoke to the students about exploring careers in Cybersecurity. They discussed topics ranging from how to keep themselves safe while online, what careers cybersecurity offers, and how ransomware works.听

At Landrum Middle School in Landrum, South Carolina, Cybersecurity Professor Karry Elson, AU Cybersecurity IT Integration Specialist Genevieve Bronson, and AU Cybersecurity student Jack Treaster teamed up to make a presentation on cybersecurity safety. Educating our youth about pitfalls in technology and what to do if something negative happens to them is a community service that helps not only the middle school students, but also the AU Cybersecurity students.听

The feedback from the teachers and principals after the events was very positive and we look forward to finding other opportunities in local communities to spread good cybersecurity practices, as well as promoting AU to prospective students.听

The AU Center for Cybersecurity听

The 91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today鈥檚 cybersecurity industry. The Center offers students the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available鈥�online.听

The post Promoting Cybersecurity Awareness at Area Schools appeared first on 91福利社.

Approximately 8,500 students competed in the Fall 2024 competition.听

91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity鈥檚 team is currently ranked out of approximately 550 colleges and universities in the nation鈥攖he fourth semester in a row for the AU team to be ranked in the Top 20.

There were 38 91福利社 students in NCL Individual Game. Five AU students placed in the top 75鈥攁gainst a total of 4,584 students:

31 – Graham Edwards (GCracker)
50 – Camden Sloan (goPH!$H)
55 – Aaron McCurry (at0m1c)
60 – Joshua Cordeiro (Herohunter@AU)
70 – Seth Taylor (cloverblack44)

Outstanding individual competitors were Ben Mullikin, Josh Karpus, Jaimee Sanders, Nate Dorrity, Michael Pavel, Charlie Paddock, Branson Bailey, Joshua Stephens, Noah Perricelli, Meredith Frick, Nicholas Fowler, Caleb Boyter, Brycen Morrison, Thomas Cain, Mason Kellam, Kyle Beauregard, Jack McCotter, Dylan Wyatt, Chris Taylor, Adelaine Wornom, Jadyn Koenes, Cynthia “Lucy” Ray, Ethan Green, Emilyn Amborski, Stephen Davis, Zachary Lee, Christopher Barnard, Liam Simpson, Courtney Blum, Tiago Perez, Ryan Welch, Andrew Blakney and Andrea Deambrosi.

In the NCL Team Game, 12 teams from 91福利社 (SC) competed against 1,189 teams.

Placing at number 25 was AU_PH1SH3RSOFM3N and at 52 was ClearlyYouDontOwnAnAirfryer.

Additional impressive efforts were also made by NCL: Singleplayer Edition@AU (Top 13%), AUth.log@AU (Top 18%), AU_Cyber_Hobbits (Top 20%), DockingSSHip@Port22 (Top 20%), and Error404:TeamNotFound (Top 20%)!
听

91福利社 Center for Cybersecurity teams:听

• AU_PH1SH3RSOFM3N: Camden Sloan, Aaron McCurry, Zachary Lee, Charlie Paddock, Kyle Beauregard, Noah Perricelli and Joshua Cordeiro.听

• ClearlyYouDontOwnAnAirfryer: Nicholas Fowler, Joshua Karpus and Nathan Dorrity.听

• NCL: Singleplayer Edition@AU:鈥疍avid 鈥淕raham鈥� Edwards.听

• AUth.log@AU: Branson Bailey, Brycen Morrison, Jack McCotter and Ryan Shiley.听

• AU_Cyber_Hobbits: Mason Kellam, Seth Taylor, Courtney Blum, Meredith Frick, Ethan Green, Spencer Brunson and Grayson Williams.听

• DockingSSHip@Port22: Jaimee Sanders, Cynthia “Lucy” Ray, Caleb Boyter, Thomas Cain, Ben Mullikin and Adelaine Wornom.听

• Error404:TeamNotFound: Michael Pavel, Dylan Wyatt, Chris Taylor and Tiago Perez.
  听

Impressive team efforts were also made by Patrick Dodds, Matthew McLaughlin, Seth Dykens, Christopher Barnard, Stephen Davis, Joshua Stephens, Emilyn Amborski, Jadyn Koenes and Andrea Deambrosi.听

Cybersecurity Professor and Competition Coach Brandon Grech shared how the AU students continue to increase their own Individual and Team performance.听

鈥淭his semester continues to show how our students improve each semester on their way towards graduation and the workforce,鈥� Grech said. 鈥淚f you compare Spring 2024 results against Fall 2024, you will see so many students increase their overall score and rankings. Multiple students jumped from in the Top 350 (Spring 2024) to the Top 75 (Fall 2024). Also, AU_PH1SH3RSOFM3N increased their overall challenge completion from 92.4 percent last semester to 97.5 percent this semester.鈥�听

Grech also shared that there are so many individual and team accomplishments that students will be able to show employers on their resume. He commented, 鈥淒uring the Fall 2024 NCL Individual Game, Camden Sloan was ranked number one in the country in the Cryptography section. Camden was the first student to complete all 17 cryptography tasks with 100 percent accuracy.鈥�听

AU Cybersecurity students are already gearing up for Spring 2025 competitions. That AU students excel in these competitions is a testament to the University’s pillar of Great Academics.

鈥淢any of our students have already identified areas where they want to continue to improve over the Christmas Break and in the Spring semester. We are preparing new practice sessions to continue to advance our students鈥� skills in this ever-changing field,鈥� Grech said. “We are very blessed here with these wonderful students and an optimal learning environment.”

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