In a remarkable upset, the young ETSU Ranger team made up entirely of ETSU students won the challenging patrolling event at the recent regional Ranger Challenge competition held at Fort Knox, Ky., by finishing the patrol with a perfect score of 600 points.
ETSU’s Eddie Reed Ranger Company outperformed 40 teams to win the patrolling event, sharing top-place honors with the varsity team from the University of Kentucky and defeating teams from the University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio State University, and West Virginia University.
This years regional competition included 40 university teams from Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, with Middle Tennessee State University taking overall first place.
The accomplishment was all the more significant due to the relative inexperience of the ETSU Rangers, consisting of three seniors and seven underclassmen.
“I am extremely proud of the Ranger team’s accomplishments this year.” said Hope Farris, commander of the ETSU corps of cadets and Alpha Xi Delta Homecoming Queen candidate.
“We went into the competition anticipating this to be a rebuilding year and a new experience for the underclassmen,” Farris said. “We were pleased and excited to come away from the competition with a perfect score and a streamer from the patrolling event along with the experience for next year’s team.”
Ranger Challenge is sponsored by the U.S. Army Cadet Command, and is open to all ETSU students who enroll in any Military Science class on campus. The challenge is a three day competiton in which teams compete in Ranger events such as crossing a river by building a one rope bridge, orienteering, a hand grenade assault course, marksmanship, and a 10 kilometer speed march.
ETSU Ranger Cadet 1st Sgt. Joe Canepi, a sophomore from Kingsport, has other plans for next year, “If we can find the time to get together and are willing to practice on a regular basis next fall, we can be a force to be reckoned with.”
For more information on how to join the Eddie Reed Ranger Company, please call at 439-5291 or 439-8217.

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