MARSEILLES, Ill. - This year, Polish Territorial Defense Forces Soldier Mateusz traveled across the Atlantic to compete as part of the Illinois National Guard’s 33-year partnership with the Polish military through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. While Mateusz’s rank and surname have been omitted to comply with the Polish Territorial Defense Forces policy, Mateusz made a name for himself among his fellow competitors from the beginning of the competition. At the end of it, he was named the Illinois Army National Guard’s 2026 Soldier of the Year.
Participants in the 2026 Illinois Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition were driven to challenge themselves through some of the most physically grueling, exhausting and mentally taxing challenges.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I can do it,” Mateusz said of the competition, held March 26-29, at the Marseilles Training Area. “And if I can represent my country in this competition, I’m proud of it.”
Sgt. Bryson Williams, who was named the Illinois Army National Guard’s Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, came from much closer for the competition. Bryson hails from the Galesburg-based C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery Regiment – part of the Peoria-based 65 Troop Command Brigade.
Williams said he was driven by challenging himself and going up against a field of competitors who had risen to the top of their brigades already.
“Going into the ruck, I knew it would come down more to mindset rather than physical capabilities,” Williams said. “There were definitely moments where it got tough, but instead of thinking about how much was left, I flipped it and thought about how far I’d already come.”
The 12-mile ruck march was the last event.
“The 2026 Illinois Army National Guard State Best Warrior Competition is designed to build tough, tenacious warfighters by reinforcing mastery of the fundamentals - being brilliant at the basics,” said State Command Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Kelly, the senior enlisted leader of the Illinois Army National Guard. “Competitors are tested on Army warrior tasks, weapons proficiency, land navigation skills, physical fitness, mental toughness and resiliency, with a clear focus on the ability to shoot, move, communicate and survive on the battlefield.”
The competition started with an “unknown” distance run, in full military gear with weapons. The Soldiers did not know the distance as a challenge to their mental and physical toughness. They weren’t allowed to catch their breath during the rifle and shooting event, a test of their ability to fire accurately in combat.
Similarly, the medical and communications testing were conducted under combat-like conditions. The competitors needed to quickly navigate through the brush, trees and hills using only a compass and a map, during the day and in the dead of night.
On the second day, the day began with an “E3B” Physical Fitness Assessment - a rigorous, timed, seven-event combat-focused test. Key events included a 1-mile run, 30 dead-stop push-ups, a 100-meter sprint, a 16-sandbag lift (40 pounds), a 50-meter water can carry, a 50-meter high crawl/3-5 second rush and a final 1-mile run. The “Mystery Event” followed, in which competitors were dropped by helicopter in the middle of the training area. There, they were tested again under duress in multiple realistic, timed combat scenarios that included figuring out where they were. Finally, they headed back to the barracks area and cleaned up in time to face a board of six command sergeants major who grilled them on their Army and combat knowledge.
The timed 12-mile march with weapons, full combat gear and 35 pounds in the ruck happened on the third day of competition. Every Soldier made it through the competition, although each of them had sore muscles and some had other minor injuries. There were 10 competitors, five vying for Soldier of the Year and five vying for NCO of the Year. A Soldier and NCO came from each of the Illinois Army National Guard’s four brigades, and two competitors came from the Polish Territorial Defense Forces, a reserve force.
Michal, from the Polish Territorial Defense Forces, competed last year for Soldier of the Year and volunteered to compete again, this time for NCO of the Year.
“In the last year I was participating in this competition, so I know a little bit about what to expect and what I might expect physically and mentally,” he said. “But I decided to do it no matter what injuries or pains I have, to show the people that the Polish soldier can go through even if he’s wounded, injured and feels great pain. And I also want to prove that my achievement of second place in last year’s BWC wasn’t a lucky shot, but instead is the consequence of doing something right.”
Illinois Army National Guard Spc. George Gonzalez of the Chicago-based 34th Division Sustainment Brigade was the runner-up in the Soldier of the Year competition and will compete in the Region IV Best Warrior Competition representing Illinois if Mateusz is unable to do so. The regional competition will be held April 29-May 3 at Fort Custer, Michigan.
“What made me want to compete is just my love of competition,” Gonzalez said. “It’s great to get out there and perform against other high-performing individuals. Competition breeds excellence.”
“I definitely had fun,” he added. “This event was a blast - highly recommend. I would do it again.”
Williams is happy to get a bit of a break before the regional competition.
“I’m definitely happy to be done in the sense that it was a long, demanding competition and takes a lot out of you physically and mentally,” he said. “It feels good to finally take a step back and recover a bit. At the same time though, I enjoyed the challenge.”
He added, “At the end of the day, it was one of those experiences where it’s hard while you’re in it, but you appreciate it a lot once it’s over.”
Michal also felt bittersweet at the end of the competition.
“I am happy that our competition has ended,” he said. “But I am unhappy that I have to leave behind this bond with the people I have met here.”