NH
Nicholas Haluska
  • civil engineering
  • Class of 2016
  • Albany, N.Y.

Clarkson University Army ROTC Cadet Nick Haluska of Slingerlands Places Second in Ranger Challenge Competition

2012 Nov 6

The Golden Knight Battalion Ranger Challenge Team from Clarkson University's Army ROTC finished in second place out of 44 teams in this year's competition held at Fort Dix, N.J., in early October.

Nick Haluska of Slingerlands, N.Y., a freshman majoring in civil engineering, participated as a team member in this year's competition.

The competition is a series of 10 events that included two obstacle courses, timed assembly of military weapons, rappelling, inflatable raft operations, a telephone pole carry, hand grenade course, and a combat first aid challenge.

The teams competed in full gear (helmets, boots, uniforms, rucksack, and weapon) on a 7.5 mile course, which took the Clarkson team less than five hours to complete.

The nine-member team of students from Clarkson, SUNY Potsdam, and St Lawrence University are all enrolled in the Army ROTC program at Clarkson University and was coached by Master Sgt. Clifford Foster.

The Golden Knights Battalion continued their annual strong performance in the competition that includes first place finishes in 2000 and 2007. Training six days a week since the beginning of the semester the team again finished ahead of many of their rivals.

Among the teams that trailed Clarkson this year were Syracuse, Penn State, Cornell, and RIT. The field was made up of schools from the 2nd Brigade, which encompasses 43 Army ROTC programs in the Northeast, along with teams representing the Naval Academy and West Point.

Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.

[A photograph for media use is available at http://www.clarkson.edu/news/photos/ranger-challenge-2012.jpg .]

Photo caption: A team of Clarkson University Army ROTC Cadets recently finished second of 44 teams in the Ranger Challenge competition held at Fort Dix, N.J. Kneeling: Taylor Macci (St Lawrence University). Front Row (l-r): Tim Dudley (SUNY Potsdam), Devin Hallam (Clarkson), Tim Goldstone (Clarkson), and Emily Carrigg (Clarkson). Back Row (l-r): Nick Haluska (Clarkson), Eric O'Donnell (Clarkson), Steven Strait (Clarkson), and Michael Matroniano (Clarkson).