Best Warrior

Photo Gallery

BALTIMORE – Fourteen competitors from throughout the Army National Guard are slated to battle it out in a physically and mentally challenging five-day competition to determine the Army Guard’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the year July 14-18 in locations throughout Maryland.

Hosted by the Maryland Army National Guard the 2025 Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition tests competitors on a variety of tactical and technical tasks including weapons proficiency, land navigation, emergency medical tasks, and combat casualty care. These tasks are completed over a grueling set of courses throughout the state that includes multiple timed ruck marches and the Army Combat Fitness Test.

Winners in the competition – one Soldier and one NCO – are named the Army Guard’s Soldier and NCO of the Year and will compete in the Department of the Army Best Squad Competition this fall. Runners-up in the Best Warrior Competition fill out the Army Guard squad competing in the Best Squad Competition based on their finish in Best Warrior.

Competitors in this year’s Army Guard Best Warrior Competition include:

Soldier Category
Spc. Adam Andrews - Rhode Island
Spc. Robert Ruiz-Rhoades – Pennsylvania
Spc. Jaden Hughes - Alabama
Spc. Logan Rutledge – Indiana
Spc. Alexander Thomson – Nebraska
Spc. Canyon Blassingame - Montana
Sgt. Michael Fouts – Arizona

NCO Category
Sgt. Kristopher Piwowarczyk - New Jersey
Staff Sgt. Miles Crawford – Maryland
Staff Sgt. Nicolas White – Georgia
Staff Sgt. Brandon Byrne - Wisconsin
Sgt. Luke Entz – Nebraska
Sgt. Matthew Lee – Montana
Sgt. Luke Cloward - Utah

Video Gallery

Video by Maj. Wayne Clyne

2024 National Guard Winston P. Wilson Small Arms Championship

Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office

April 30, 2024 | 1:21

Hosted by the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center (NGMTC) and the Arkansas National Guard at the Robinson Maneuver Training Center, this b-roll footage highlights Oregon National Guard participation in the 30 April pistol and rifle matches from the Winston P. Wilson Small Arms Championship. Elite Guard marksmen are pushed to their limits across these daylight shooting events, battling fatigue and environmental obstacles. The footage also captures the intense night rifle competition on 29 April, where shooters employed night vision goggles and IR lasers to negotiate the low-light conditions. From tense firing lines to up-close action sequences, feel the intensity as warriors demonstrate their battlefield marksmanship skills. Get exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at the preparation between relentless rounds downrange. This championship represents the ultimate test for the National Guard's premier shooters. (Army National Guard video by Maj. W. Chris Clyne Oregon National Guard public affairs office)