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Rising to the Challenge: AU Cyber Team Wins Midwest Division of NCAE Cyber Games

Student-led preparation and teamwork led to a surprising first-place finish for Anderson University Cyber Team

The Anderson University cyber team placed first in the Midwest 2 Division of the NCAE Cyber Games, outperforming 11 other teams.

For a program built on preparation, teamwork, and ethical leadership, the victory reflects far more than a single day of competition. It highlights what makes the cybersecurity program at Anderson University distinctive.

The NCAE Cyber Games, hosted by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, are designed to inspire college students to enter the fast-growing world of cyber competitions. The competition focuses on teamwork, confidence-building, and skill development. For many students across the country, it serves as a first step into hackathons and high-level cyber challenges.

For Anderson University’s team, it became a defining moment.

An Unexpected Victory

For many students on the team, the win exceeded expectations.

“The win meant a lot to me and everyone on the team, especially considering the circumstances; we didn’t even know if the cyber club was going to run this year, so we very much exceeded our expectations,” said Nick Davis, a freshman cybersecurity major.

“While I think the practices were very beneficial, there is really no substitute for a real competition, and there was a lot of doing things on the fly and figuring things out as we went. Personally, I feel like I grew in my technical skills, but the most important thing I gained from this was learning to work in a team.”

Russell Manning, a sophomore cybersecurity major, echoed the group’s surprise.

“Winning the competition meant a great deal to everyone on the team. We entered the event expecting to place near the bottom, so earning first place came as a significant surprise. This result demonstrated that the time we dedicated to training on a variety of interfaces and programs had a meaningful and measurable impact on our performance.”

For Eden Pickering, a freshman computer engineering major, the experience was both surprising and fun.

“Our expectations were subverted by our own performance,” Pickering said.

Pickering added in jest, “It’s always DNS.”

Students competing included Nathan Rockhill, team captain and team-voted MVP; Eden Pickering, team-voted most improved; Ty Thomasson; Russell Manning; Nick Davis; and Isaac Knost, CTF lead.

Months of Preparation

The victory followed months of preparation. At the start of the school year, the student-led cyber team identified weaknesses from the previous year and created a focused improvement plan. Every Wednesday night, they met to work through labs, sandboxes, and cyber challenges. They refined their strengths and assigned specific roles for competition day while also developing a clear strategy for the order of operations to gain an early lead and maintain it.

Assistant Professor of Computer Science Matthew Burch said the growth from the previous year was significant.

“This win shows that even though we are a small university, we still have strong students and a strong program,” Burch said. “Last year was our first year competing in national-level events like this, and we did not perform well at all. Our students learned from that, prepared harder, and it paid off.” Much of the preparation took place outside of the classroom.

“Our students are very driven,” Burch said. “The majority of this work and preparation happened outside of the classroom. These students could have been doing anything else with their time, but instead, they chose to work together to build a strong team with a strong skill set.”

A Nationally Recognized Program

Behind the competition success stands a cybersecurity program with national recognition. In 2023, Anderson University’s cybersecurity program was designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency. At the time, AU became the second private institution in Indiana and just the sixth member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) to hold the designation.

The recognition followed a five-year process requiring rigorous benchmarks. The curriculum aligns coursework with more than 20 national cybersecurity knowledge units, covering technical skills, policy, mathematics, philosophy, and computer science. Students also pursue industry certifications such as CompTIA Security+ or Certified Ethical Hacker.

Leadership with Integrity

Ethics remain a central part of cybersecurity education at Anderson University.

“Ethics are always a focus in cybersecurity,” Burch said. “They went over the rules for the competition in advance and talked about how they should conduct themselves within the rules of the competition, as well as how to engage in good sportsmanship and respect the organizers and officials of the event.”

In a field where responsibility carries real-world consequences, students are trained to lead with integrity. The cybersecurity program integrates Christian ethics with technical excellence, preparing graduates not only to defend systems but also to serve communities.

“This team was created by students, for students,” Burch said. “The students want to lead and to be on the edge of innovation, and the university encourages and empowers them to do that.

Looking Ahead

The team now anticipates a potential invitation to the NCAE Invitational in Florida, though invitations have not yet been officially extended. Whether another invitation arrives or not, the message is clear: at Anderson University, cybersecurity is more than a major. It is a community of driven students, faithful preparation, national recognition, and a commitment to excellence grounded in Christian ethics.

The Ravens rose together. And they are just getting started.

Written by Mischon Hart ’07 | God Bless, Go Ravens!