In a display of innovation and skill, University of Mary Washington’s cybersecurity team achieved a fourth-place finish in the recent Cyber Resiliency and Measurement Challenge sponsored by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD).
This national competition, held Oct. 22-23 at UMW’s Dahlgren Campus, brought together 11 top academic institutions. Each was tasked with developing innovative solutions against hypothetical cyber threats, encouraging students to develop advanced algorithms and models to enhance cybersecurity capabilities.
“The challenge was very competitive with talented teams from across the country participating,” said Associate Professor of Computer Science Xin-Wen Wu, who served as faculty advisor for the five-member UMW group. “I think our students worked incredibly hard to achieve this result, demonstrating remarkable dedication and teamwork.”
Eagle team members included Adam Baime ‘25, Alejandro Rosario ‘26, Gary Young ‘25, Chris Walker ‘26 and Kevin Landry ‘25. UMW’s team earned its fourth-place finish after facing stiff competition from the nation’s top cybersecurity talent. George Mason University secured first place, with the University of South Florida taking second, and the U.S. Naval Academy rounding out the top three.
Other competitors included Tennessee Tech, University of Florida, Rochester Institute of Technology, Marymount University, Western Governors University, University of South Alabama, and Catholic University of America. NSWCDD selected teams for the event after reviewing white papers in which each institution outlined capabilities and proposed solutions to cybersecurity challenges.
UMW’s strong performance demonstrates its growing capabilities in computer science, information technology and cybersecurity education. The competition not only allowed UMW students to apply their skills in a real-world environment but also emphasized creative problem-solving, forward thinking and the importance of cybersecurity in national defense.
“The challenge aims to foster innovative thinking,” NSWCDD Distinguished Scientist for Combat Systems Security and Challenge Champion Katie Young said in a press release. “We constantly seek out new thoughts, approaches and technologies.”
The event featured distinguished speakers, including opening remarks from UMW President Troy Paino and UMW College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger. Randy Sharo, chief technology officer at Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. Tenth Fleet, and Ryan Craven, program officer for applied cyber resiliency at the Office of Naval Research, also addressed students, emphasizing the importance of innovation in cyber defense and the growing need for resilient systems in today’s technology-driven world.
“These innovation challenges set the best minds from industry and academia in motion with the goal of offering unique solutions to naval problems,” NSWCDD’s Potomac Tech Bridge Director Michael Clark said in the release. “Often, the novel approaches we see challenge the ‘status quo’ and the traditional way of attacking these problems.”
