AU Team Takes Top Honors in Cybersecurity Challenge
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Against a field of more than 1,000 teams from colleges and universities around the country, Anderson University last weekend captured a national title in the National Cyber League Team Competition, a 56-hour test of digital problem-solving that has become one of the best-known contests in cybersecurity education.
The victory came in the competition’s final team challenge, where AU’s Cyber League team posted a perfect score and flawless accuracy. In a field that drew more than 500 schools, the result was not merely winning so much as finishing with the sort of precision that makes the whole enterprise sound briefly inevitable.
The championship team included Aaron McCurry, Camden Sloan, Joshua Cordeiro, Kyle Beauregard, Charlie Paddock, Zachary Lee, and Noah Perricelli.
The National Cyber League, held twice a year, is often described as an Olympics for cybersecurity students, though that comparison only partly captures the mix of nerve, speed, and technical fluency required. Teams are asked to solve puzzles, detect vulnerabilities, and defend against simulated threats in a digital arena where the margin for error is measured in keystrokes and milliseconds.
Dr. Brandon P. Grech, the director of Anderson University’s Center for Cybersecurity and the team’s coach, said the championship reflected a broader culture of support across the campus. He credited the students’ persistence as well as the contributions of faculty and staff across the university, including the Office of Christian Life, the Honors College, the Department of Mathematics, the College of Business and Economics, and the IT Department.
Anderson University’s Center for Cybersecurity, established in 2020, was among the first private higher-education cybersecurity programs in South Carolina. The center now offers degree tracks in cybersecurity; cybersecurity and analytics; cybersecurity and criminal justice; and cybersecurity and mathematics, an academic menu that suggests the field has grown large enough to require its own internal geography.
The national championship adds to a string of strong performances by AU’s Cyber League team, which has become a regular presence near the top of the National Cyber League power rankings since the program began in 2020. For a university that bills itself as the largest private school in South Carolina, the result is a notable reminder that some of the state’s most competitive students are now making their mark in a contest fought far from any conventional field.
