Best Warrior

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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 Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh, Staff Sgt. Jorden Newbanks

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Army, Air Force, and Allied Forces compete for 2026 Best Warrior

Minnesota National Guard

April 19, 2026 | 3:37

Twenty-seven service members from the Minnesota National Guard and NATO allied nations Canada and Croatia participate in the 2026 Minnesota Best Warrior Competition, April 15-18, 2026, at Camp Ripley Training Center, near Little Falls, Minn. This competition tests participants’ knowledge, technical and tactical proficiency, physical endurance, and resilience through a series of demanding events where competitors refine critical warfighting skills. Minnesota’s winners will move on to compete against the best Soldiers and noncommissioned officers from across the Midwest at the Region IV Best Warrior Competition, hosted this year by the Michigan National Guard at Fort Custer, Mich., April 29 through May 3, 2026. (Minnesota National Guard video by Staff Sgt. Newbanks)