Hocking College Cyber Hawks Achieve Top-10% Finish in National Cyber League
NELSONVILLE — The Hocking College Cyber Hawks have distinguished themselves by finishing in the top 10% of the National Cyber League competition, outperforming 4,215 teams from across the nation.
Held from November 7 to 9, the competition challenged students with authentic cybersecurity scenarios, encompassing tasks from password cracking to digital forensics, as detailed in a community announcement.
More: Hocking is one of five Ohio institutions participating in a national initiative aimed at re-envisioning semester structures.
The Hocking College Cyber Hawks achieved a prestigious finish in the National Cyber League (NCL) competition held Nov. 7–9, 2025, ranking within the top 10% among 4,215 national teams.
The team included students James Jordon, Andy Graybeal, Ada Niple, and team captain Alexandra Drum, as noted in the official statement.
Drum, a second-year major in cybersecurity and networking, remarked on the necessity for swift decision-making amid the competition’s pressures.
“You have such a short window to solve everything,” she stated. “Collaborating and motivating each other truly makes a significant difference.”
First-year student Niple highlighted the competition’s intricate nature, asserting that it presented a remarkably elevated challenge compared to her past experiences. She emphasized that it facilitates a deeper exploration of individual interests within the cybersecurity realm.
Jordon, another cybersecurity major, underlined the team’s strategy of allocating tasks in accordance with each member’s strengths, thereby optimizing their collaborative efficiency. “We double-check each other’s work and support one another. That’s what propelled us forward,” he noted.
Norma Depriest, the Cyber Hawks’ coach and a veteran competitor in the National Cyber League, praised the event for its student-oriented framework and practicality.
“It’s one of the few competitions designed expressly for students,” Depriest commented. “Participants engage with their peers, utilize real tools, confront realistic scenarios, and learn how to react under time constraints.”
This biennial event, organized by Cyber Skyline, is synchronized with academic calendars, affording students hands-on, job-relevant experiences while they pursue their studies.
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