The 40th annual U.S. Army Best Ranger Competition wrapped today and soldiers with the 75th Ranger Regiment took the top spot.
At a dinner event to mark the end of the competition, presenters announced that 1st Lt. Andrew Winski and Sgt. Matthew Dunphy of the 75th Ranger Regiment had won the three-day competition. The duo earned the highest marks, beating 55 other teams from across the U.S. Army.
The 56 teams, including other members of the 75th Ranger Regiment, competed in a variety of tests and challenges. That ranged from physical challenges such as rope bridges and ruck marches to skill tests with weapons and several obstacle courses. These competitions often push teams to show their physical prowess and their ingenuity.
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In addition to their overall win, Winski, who is assigned to the 75th’s 2nd Battalion, and Dunphy, who is assigned to 1/75, won the highest marks on marksmanship among the 56 teams.
Winski and Dunphy’s win is the latest major competition won by soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment this last week. In fact, soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment took the top spots at the International Best Mortar Competition and the International Best Sniper Competition. It was something of a sweep.
The other competitions were held at the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Moore. On Friday, April 12, Spc. Emmanuel Jackson, Spc. Logan Otis, Staff Sgt. Enrique Caballero and Sgt. Mason Davison, all with 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, earned the top spot at the International Best Mortar Competition. That put them through not only tests on their aiming and marksmanship skills but also plenty of obstacle courses, land navigation, and how they would react to contact with enemy fire.
Earlier, Staff Sgt. Brian Sheffield and Staff Sgt. Matthew Howard, 3/75 Rangers, were deemed the top shots at the International Best Sniper Competition. As part of their challenges, competing teams were tested on their long-range marksmanship as well as related skills such as stealth and reconnaissance.
The trio of wins comes after two members of the 75th Ranger Regiment, Staff Sgt. Patrick Murphy and Staff Sgt. Ryan Musso took the top spot at the U.S. Army Best Medic Competition on March 8. That contest put teams of two through a series of physical challenges as the medics had to navigate simulations of combat scenarios and test their medical skills.
The awards ceremony for the U.S. Army Best Ranger Competition will be held on Monday, April 15.
CORRECTION: 4/15/2024. An earlier version of this article inaccurately stated the unit to which Sgt. Matthew Dunphy is assigned. He is assigned to 1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment.
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