Students at Ivy Tech Community College Columbus Cyber Academy recently placed seventh in the strength rankings of a national collegiate cybersecurity competition.
Students participate in the National Internet League (NCL) Spring Season, which runs from January 30 to May 27. Powered by Cyber Skyline, the NCL program allows students from two- and four-year institutions to prepare and test themselves against practical cybersecurity challenges, such as identifying intruders from forensic data, pen testing, reviewing vulnerable websites, recovering from ransomware attacks, and more.
The NCL hosts two seasons of these challenges each year in the spring and fall. This year, Ivy Tech ranked 7th overall nationally in the Cyber Power rankings, as well as 5th in the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) Colleges category.
Ivy Tech Columbus Cyber Academy students are John de la Cruz, Conor Hayek, Bryson Hendren, David London, Casey Love, Ian Nycum, Stephen Ross, and Brandon Stewart. The Ivy Tech team was represented as “TheHackStreetBoys @ Ivy Tech Community College MUTC” in the contest. MUTC stands for Muscatatuck Urban Training Centre, where the Cyber Academy operates.
In addition to the team rankings, individual team members ranked in the National Electronic League Spring Season out of 6,273 individual entrants are as follows: Breyson Hendren, 20th; Brandon Stewart, 397; Stephen Ross, 322; David London, 518; John De La Cruz, 700; Connor Hayek, 830; and Ian Nycomb, No. 1246.
The Cyber Power Rankings were created by Cyber Skyline in partnership with the National Cyber League (NCL). Each year, more than 10,000 students from more than 500 colleges and universities and 100 high schools from across the United States participate in NCL competitions. These rankings represent the ability of students from these schools to perform real-world cybersecurity tasks on the Cyber Skyline platform.
The Ivy Tech Columbus Cyber Academy is part of the college’s Accelerated Associates Degree Programs (ASAP), where students can earn a two-year associate degree in cybersecurity in 11 months. The Cyber Academy is run at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, providing students with the opportunity to learn in an advanced cyber training facility at a National Defense Training Center. The program is led by Joe Budden, Associate Program President for Ivy Tech Columbus.