The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Army ROTC Warrior Battalion competed in the 55th Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, April 29–30. The competition began in 1967 between the United States Military Academy and the British Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. It has since evolved into a two-day event, with 48 teams from around the world competing in this year’s competition.
“Although the UH team placed 37th, they gained a great deal of knowledge that will help propel future UH teams to greater success,” said Lt. Col. Jerrod Melander, professor of military science. “The team put forth an outstanding effort and was able to compete alongside the top military academies and officer producing institutions in the world.”
The UH team, which consisted of 11 cadets (9 primary and 2 alternates) and 3 cadre members from the battalion, competed in a variety of events and tasks. They included military weapons assembly, disassembly and shooting skills, Zodiac boat operations, tactical combat casualty care, grenade assault course, communications equipment operations, physical fitness events, an eight mile ruck march, map reading, requesting artillery fire, an obstacle course, and multiple events containing combinations of the aforementioned skills.
This year’s competition included 15 international teams, 16 ROTC teams, 12 United States Military Academy teams, and teams from the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy, the Merchant Marine Academy and the United States Military Academy Prep School.
The Warrior Battalion team was coached by Master Sgt. Troy Sherlock and Jaime Oliveros. Members included:
- Crystal Gonzalez
- Gregory Schollmeier
- Samantha Delgado
- Martin Corona
- Carlos Betancourt
- David Massey
- Miguel Matias
- Romel Galarza
- Anthony Parrish
- McKinley Rainey
- Kaleb Cooperfelt
The last time UH competed in the Sandhurst competition was in 2019.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz also congratulated the team on his Instagram page on their participation in the Sandhurst competition. “You made all of Hawaiʻi proud with your hard work and determination,” he said.
This event is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of Enhancing Student Success (PDF), one of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan (PDF), updated in December 2020.
