RAPID CITY, S.D. – 11 South Dakota Army National Guard Soldiers competed in the state’s Best Warrior Competition at West Camp Rapid in Rapid City, Nov. 3-5. The competitors came from across the state to compete for the title of SDARNG’s Soldier of the Year or Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.
“The Best Warrior Competition (BWC) brings together competitors from across the South Dakota Army National Guard company and battalion formations to showcase their warrior acumen. The competition is a comprehensive evaluation of our best warrior’s warfighting skill sets,” said State Command Sgt. Maj. Marcus Stacey, South Dakota National Guard’s Senior Enlisted Leader.
The soldiers are scored in a variety of physically and mentally taxing tasks and assessments. Some events are the Army Combat Fitness Test, weapons qualification, obstacle course, night land navigation, a six-mile ruck march, and round-robin training lanes that individually assess their mental and physical limits, as well as their soldier skills and readiness.
Competitions like these are held to reward soldiers for their hard work, to seek the best of the best to represent the state in future competitions, and to develop leaders so they can take this experience back with them to their units and be mentors and leaders there.
“The winners and runners-up from the competition are truly the “best of the best” within the South Dakota National Guard. These warriors showcased not only their physical well-being and fortitude but also the mental aptitude to push through three long days of a rigorous competition. I am incredibly proud of all the competitors and look forward to the winner’s going on to represent South Dakota at the next level of competition,” said Stacey.
Once scores were tallied, Spc. Bryson Darveau, with the HHC 109th Engineer Battalion, was announced as the 2024 Soldier of the Year, and Sgt. Jacob Reitzel, with the 935th Aviation Support Battalion, was announced as the NCO of the Year.
The winners will move on to represent the SDARNG in the Region 6 competition in Washington state next spring.
The other participants in this year’s competition include: Sgt. Corbin Nei, 153rd Engineering Battalion; Sgt. Tyler Engen, 1-147th: Field Artillery; Pfc. Hunter Lehmann, 1-147th: Field Artillery Sgt. Matthew Monroe, Joint Force Headquarters; Spc. Zanto Centeno, 115th Brigade Signal Company; Spc. Elizabeth Medlin, 147th Army National Guard Band; Cpl. Hannah Denning, 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade; Sgt. Jacob Reitzel, 935th Aviation Support Battalion; Spc. Johnathan Weiss, 740th Transportation Company; Spc. Bryson Darveau, HHC 109th Engineer Battalion; Sgt. Patrick Merrill, HHC 109th Engineer Battalion.
State Command Sgt. Maj. Marcus Stacey mentioned that this year’s competitors exemplified the truest meaning of warriors ready to “fight tonight” with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in any austere environment. The competition is designed to test our soldiers in a multitude of events that help them build on their existing experiences and knowledge.
