Black, Gold USMA squad leaders led flourishing teams to top spots at 2026 Sandhurst Military Skills Competition

It was two grueling days that tested both the physical endurance and mental resilience of every competitor. Day one featured eight physically demanding lanes, with teams ruck marching between each lane. On day two, the Crucible tested whatever strength remained, as teams pushed through a harsh course filled with obstacles and challenges.

Since 1967, the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition has brought together U.S. Military Academy cadet teams alongside international academy squads, ROTC teams and other U.S. service academies to test their skills. On May 1 and 2, 48 teams, including 12 squads from USMA, competed for the Sandhurst title at West Point.

This year’s 59th annual Sandhurst competition concluded with USMA teams taking the top two spots with the USMA Sandhurst Black Team taking first overall and the USMA Sandhurst Gold Team finishing second.

The USMA Black and Gold squads are drawn from a single 30-member team that trains together throughout the academic year. In March, two squads of 11 cadets were selected to compete.

Along the way, they trained at multiple events such as the Cambrian Patrol in the United Kingdom, the Army-Navy Patriot Games and the Chimaltalli Competition in Mexico City. As the Black Team Squad Leader, Class of 2026 Cadet Zachery Gallman said, “each of these train-up periods has taught me the importance of trusting the process.”

“The specific skills and physical training program that go along with each time period allowed us to focus deliberately on the next task at hand and be ready for the competition,” Gallman stated.

A native of Sandy, Utah, Gallman has competed in Sandhurst for five years, beginning as squad leader for the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School his first year and continuing with the Black and Gold squads the following four years.

Gallman, a future Infantry officer, said Sandhurst helped “teach me to make critical decisions in stressful situations.”

The build up to Sandhurst also builds confidence in the squad leader, which is something that all these future officers will be expected to have when leading platoons in the future.

“Sandhurst takes a year of work and asks you to perform for 36 hours,” Gallman explained. “Just like a platoon training for a combat rotation or training event, the performance during is made from training months and weeks beforehand.”

Gallman said the strength of his team was toughness, physical fitness and an appreciation and ability to forge through the grit of any competition. While the team had some early inconsistencies and lapses in critical thinking, none of that prevented them from being successful.

“Overall, Black started strong…and worked through its weaknesses on day two,” Gallman asserted. “However, Black is a special group this year with around seven Firsties competing in the competition. The team spent long hours and weekends training, and we were grateful for the opportunity to represent.”

In five years competing in Sandhurst, the experience has left a lasting impression on Gallman. “Sandhurst has taught me about the importance of training to a standard and the vitality of a team day in and day out,” Gallman said.

As for earning the top spot, Gallman believes the expectation for USMA Black is to win every single year, and that “we achieved that result, ensuring we set the same standard for the group next year.”

The competition requires managing the highs and lows that emerge throughout, but going through the experience with a group of like-minded individuals striving toward a common goal is what makes it a defining rite of passage.

“I’m proud of them and their efforts,” Gallman articulated about his teammates. “I’m excited to see where the next chapter is for the Firsties and the responsibility the group has in the future.”

Finishing second in a 48-team competition is also no small feat. The USMA Sandhurst Gold Team was led by Class of 2028 Cadet Jack Gartman, a Systems Engineering major from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Gartman spent a year at Georgia Military College, as part of West Point’s Civil Prep program, before gaining admittance to the academy. From the start, he hasn’t been deterred from getting better and reaching higher heights.

He competed with USMA Gold last year, when the team finished sixth. This year’s squad was younger, with three Plebes and a Firstie who had never competed in Sandhurst, but Garman led the team to a second-place finish.

“The squad performed well throughout the two days of competition as everyone did what I expected of them and more,” Gartman stated. “We ended up with a second-place finish to USMA Black, which is disappointing but the only team it is acceptable for us to lose to.

“We did win the award for most lethal squad, which I place high value on considering we are all in the profession of arms,” he added. “Our success would not have been possible without the support from our other non-competing teammates and especially our team OIC, Capt. Aleksandr Kauffman.”

Leading into the competition, Gartman emphasized the squad’s strength in lethality and physicality. They performed especially well in events like functional fitness and rucking and excelled on the M17 and M4 ranges.

However, he said the toughest part of the competition came after day one.

“After all day movements plus the high intensity physical fitness lanes throughout day one, the ruck march was where the real warriors came out,” Gartman declared. “We wanted it to be difficult because our team thrives on that. I think that’s the biggest difference between us and other teams—we hoped it was hard.

“We hoped the hills were steeper and longer,” he added. “We wanted it to hurt because we excel in those situations better than any other team.”

One area of focus from the previous year was reducing penalties.

“We occurred a lot of penalties just on mistakes alone, so this year we’re going to make the dedicated step to take a step back and think about what could really hurt us on a lane,” Gartman reflected prior to Sandhurst. “From a squad leader’s perspective, that’s my job to manage all that and make sure we’re doing what we need to do in the most efficient way possible.”

When it was all said and done, mitigating the mistakes led them to a higher finish than a year ago.

As a Yearling, cadets are responsible for mentoring a Plebe. However, taking on the responsibility of squad leader and leading 10 other people, some younger, some older, comes with its difficulties, but Gartman navigated through that minefield effectively.

“It’s bringing everyone together into one team that works together toward a common goal of winning,” Gartman stated. “It’s been a great experience for me, just learning how to do this and getting this rep at leadership. I’m more confident in my ability to lead. Attention to detail plays a big part in that.”

He also leaned on teammates with skills in certain areas that were better than his aptitude.

Two cadets he depended on for their talents were Class of 2026 Cadet Ty Bliss and Class of 2027 Cadet Tal Zvik.

Bliss is a member of the USMA Combat Weapons Team and offered his experience in weapons to help the team be lethal at the M4 and M17 ranges.

“He has tons of experience shooting pistol and rifle, so whenever we had those ranges as we were preparing for Spring Sandhurst, I pulled him in to run those events,” Gartman said. “He’s the subject matter expert on all things shooting. Having him was huge.”

Zvik brought prior enlisted experience in the Navy as a medic, which helped on the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) lane on day one.

“He’s very good at the cognitive side of things besides having that experience as a medic,” Gartman stated. “On the TCCC lane, he was the subject matter expert and helped us tremendously. Overall, finding guys who were really good at one thing, then putting it all together within a squad, allowed us to be good in every event.”

Gartman described the competition as a test of leadership and grit, combining strenuous physical demands and mental pressure. As his second year competing in Sandhurst, it was the best one yet for him since it was his first experience as a squad leader.

“Having the opportunity to be a squad leader and getting to lead the amazing men and women on Gold Squad was an experience I will never forget,” Gartman acknowledged. “I know for a fact this positively contributed to my leadership development as I work toward commissioning.

“The type of people that this team attracts are just different,” he concluded. “They are the type of people who you know would take a bullet for you, knowing you would do the same for them. As a leader, you can’t ask for anything better from your squad mates.”