A team of computer science students from Washington State University earned national recognition in the Cyber Power Rankings, competing against more than 9,200 students from 510 colleges across the country in the National Cyber League (NCL) Spring 2025 Competition.
The event is one of the premier cybersecurity competitions for college students in the U.S.
The WSU Cyber Security Group placed 26th in the competition. The student-run group focuses on building practical skills through peer learning.
The students participated in a Capture the Flag (CTF) event that simulated real-world cybersecurity scenarios. They worked collaboratively to uncover hidden “flags” by solving technical challenges in cryptography, web application security, reverse engineering, binary exploitation, and digital forensics.
“The most valuable takeaway from participating in these competitions is the inspiration to keep learning, spark curiosity, and motivate yourself to dive deeper,” said Adam Caudle, who serves as club secretary.
Competing in NCL required weeks of preparation. The students worked through practice labs, solving past problems, and organizing peer-led lectures and workshops to build both individual and team capabilities.
“We try to pair people who are still learning with those who’ve performed better, so there’s mentorship built in, but even the more experienced members end up learning from the group—it goes both ways,” said Sean Hodgson, the club’s president.
“Attending the lectures organized by the club and becoming familiar with available tools in advance made a huge difference during the fast-paced competition,” said Emily West, a first-time competitor.
Most of the team’s members are part of WSU’s CySER (Cybersecurity Education and Research) Institute, which came about as a result of an initial $1.5 million award from the VICEROY Program in 2021 with additional funding in the past two years. The program founded a cyberoperations research and teaching center at WSU, one of the first three VICEROY Institutes established in the U.S. The CySER program trains ROTC and DOD-skilled civilian workers in computer science and other majors in cyber basics, operations, or defense, offering bachelor’s degrees as well as specialized certificates. Participating students receive training that integrates cybersecurity research and education with professional skills in teamwork, communication, leadership, and lifelong learning.
The team’s strong showing at NCL builds on previous achievements, including top placements in the 2024 VICEROY National Cyber Competition and the 2024 Spokane Cyber Cup, establishing WSU as one of the most competitive cybersecurity programs in the Pacific Northwest.
In addition to Caudle, Hodgson, and West, the WSU team included Zachary Adelson, Fredy Fernandez, William Fralia, Shane Ganz, Alexander Hagood, Quinn McCarthy, Josiah Norton, Justin Van Der Sluys, Zachary Werle, Cole Wilson, Alan Sun, and Arun Verma.
