CENTER VALLEY, PA - Senior Carolyn Pitman and freshman Rugile Valuniate of the Army West Point women's tennis team each garnered All-Patriot League nods on Tuesday. Pitman was named to the First Team while Valuniate earned Second Team honors. Pitman makes the First Team for the third straight season after earning Second Team honors as a freshman. The West Chester, Ohio native was an impressive 27-6 in doubles including 20-2 in the spring, winning 23 of her last 25 matches. She became only the second player in Academy history to reach 100 career doubles wins and resides second on the all-time list with a 106-30 career record. In singles, Pitman finished the year 15-9 in singles with a 7-5 record in the spring. She ranks eighth all-time in school history in singles victories (69) and seventh in career wins in the top singles flight (19). Pitman was 6-0 all-time versus Navy in doubles and 6-1 in singles. Read More

WEST POINT, NY - The U.S. Military Academy announced today that no punitive action will be taken after an inquiry concluded that 16 cadets who appeared in a photograph with raised fists did not violate Department of Defense or Army regulations.

The inquiry concluded that the photo was among several taken in the spur-of-the-moment. It was intended to demonstrate “unity” and “pride,” according to the findings of the inquiry.

In addition to concluding there was no violation of DOD Directive 1344.10, the findings state, “that based upon available evidence none of the participants, through their actions, intended to show support for a political movement.”

“As members of the Profession of Arms, we are held to a high standard, where our actions are constantly observed and scrutinized in the public domain,” said Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, Jr., academy superintendent, in a letter. “We all must understand that a symbol or gesture that one group of people may find harmless may offend others. As Army officers, we are not afforded the luxury of a lack of awareness of how we are perceived.”

About West Point
The U. S. Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, co-educational, federal, liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City. It was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering and continues today as the world’s premier leader-development institution, consistently ranked among top colleges in the country. Its mission remains constant—to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the U. S. Army. For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.

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• Superintendent’s Letter
• Inquiry report  
• Full Press release

The Army West Point Crew team competed in the 25th NY State Collegiate Rowing Championships in Saratoga Springs, NY. In the best showing in Army Crew history, the team captured seven gold and two silver medals, capturing the Sanford All-Points Trophy for only the second time since the trophy was first awarded in 1989. The Varsity Men’s Eight had a strong showing, defeating Varsity programs from RIT, Ithaca, Marist, Hamilton, and Skidmore. The Women’s Varsity continued their successful season with the best finish for an Army Varsity Women’s Eight in school history, taking Silver against an all NCAA field. The Men’s JV Eight completed the sweep of the Eights events with a 4.2 second win over RIT, Ithaca, Marist, St. Lawrence, and Geneseo. The Varsity Men’s and Women’s Fours both finished second in their qualifying heats to advance to the Grand Finals, finishing sixth and fourth, respectively. The Novice Men’s Eight finished with a 12.7 second win over the Grand Final field, including RIT, ST. Lawrence, Union, Rochester, and Rennsselaer. The Novice Women’s Eights continued the winning streak with the largest Eights victory of the day, a 16 second win over two Ithaca boats, St. Lawrence, Hamilton, and RIT. The Novice team sent three Fours to the Grand Finals, to include two Novice Men’s entries, and one Novice Women’s entry. The Novice Men’s first boat took gold, crossing the line more than 26 seconds ahead of the field; the Men’s second Novice entry finished in fifth place. The Novice Women rowed a strong race to finish in the Silver Medal position, just 3.4 seconds behind the winning boat from Rochester. The Varsity and Novice Men combined to field a Men’s Open Four, again finding gold, finishing 2.9 seconds ahead of the closest competitor. The final gold medal of the day went to the Varsity Women’s pair in a finals-only race, marking the second year in a row that Army Crew won the event. The winning Army boat finished 7.7 seconds ahead of the Hamilton and Rochester crews. Army Crew finished with a total of 140 points, taking the points trophy back to West Point for the first time since 2006.

The USMA Big Brothers/Big Sisters Club joined forces with the Grill Club and spent one last afternoon strengthening bonds and making lifelong memories. The last club event of the Academic Year was bittersweet. Seven “littles” from the Highland Falls community said goodbye to their “bigs” who are graduating in May. Many of these matches have been working together for four years, and the relationships that they have built are incredibly strong. After enjoying a fantastic BBQ lunch provided by the West Point Grill Club, the bigs and littles participated in a variety of physical activities, including volleyball, basketball, and an intense round of freeze-tag. The day wrapped up with a small recognition ceremony where each Match was presented with certificates and new club members received their patches. It was the perfect event to reflect on the progress of individual matches and celebrate the great mentorship fostered by an amazing group of leaders.

The Cycling team participated in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference Championships in Warwick, MA. The team finished 3rd in the weekend, and ended up ranking 4th overall in the conference for the season, and 3rd in the DIV II teams. The women’s team swept the TTT’s, winning the B, C, and D categories. Top individual finishers include CDT’s Kenny Englert, CAT A - 12th in the road race, 8th in the crit, and 3rd in the sprint lap; Monte Ho, CAT B - 3rd in the road race, 3rd in crit, and 2nd, 1st, 3rd, and 1st in the sprint laps; Jinny Yan, CAT B - 4th in the road race, 5th in the crit, 1st in sprint lap; Tristan Manderfeld, CAT B - 8th in road race, 4th in crit, 2nd in sprint lap; Fisher Watkins, CAT C - 4th in the crit, 4th and 2nd in sprint laps; and Alberto Castro, CAT C - 8th in the crit.

Cadets C.J. Drew ’16 and Jordan Isham ’18 from Combating Terrorism Center Director LTC Bryan Price's SS466 Combating Terrorism class last fall were invited as featured speakers at the FBI's annual Leadership in Counterterrorism (LinCT) Conference in New York City on 29 April. They briefed their social media campaign to counter the narrative of the Islamic State to over 300 law enforcement officials from the United States, Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

For the first time in five years, the USMA Bowling team travelled to New London, CT, to face off the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) in a head to head match. The USMA team of CDT’s Raul Salaverria, Louis Kappner, James Olk, Tyler Stansbury, and Pieter Honing won all of the three matches played. More importantly, all of the participating cadets learned a lot about life at the other Service Academies, and enjoyed the friendly rivalry.

The Army West Point Sailing team competed on Eastchester Bay in the Bronx, in the Greater New York Dinghy Regatta. Saturday’s racing experienced puffs of 15 knots, shifty conditions, and cross current which made for difficult racing. Overall, the team finished 11 out of 12, but CDT Danko and CDT Vecchio did manage to place 1st in one of the races. They also competed in the American Yacht Club Spring Series in SUNY Maritime, NY. The event gathers some of the best skippers and crews in the Long Island Sound. Despite a solid performance, the team finished 8th out of 8 teams competing, but did beat two US Merchant Marine Academy boats that entered the race but did not compete.

Twelve cadets and one faculty member from the USMA Arabic Language Club visited the Islamic Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, NY. Highlights of the trip included exploring Arabic agricultural themes in Syria, North Africa and Muslim Spain. Cadets also viewed the last known piece of Spanish Muslim armor, a helmet from the Nasrid period in Spain (1230-1492). Traditionally, it is said that it belonged to Abd ‘Abd Allah Muhammad, known in the West as Boabdil, the last Nasrid King of Granada (reign 1482-83 and 1487-92) before it was reconquered by the Spanish.

The West Point Climbing team took thirteen cadets to the Shawangunk Ridge near New Paltz, NY to participate in a day of outdoor climbing. After an early start, the group set up several top rope systems on moderate to difficult routes in the “Trapps” climbing area. The top rope systems allowed the climbers the opportunity to work on skills at the limit of their individual abilities. CDT’s Liam Manville ’17, and Ethan George ’19 enjoyed their first outdoor climbing experiences. CDT Scott Joiner ’19 worked with Coach Sue Kligerman to place protection in preparation for his first traditional lead climb, which he completed with the help of CDT Jacqueline Orr ’18. CDT Kevin Thielmann ’16 teamed with CDT Annalee Tokarsky ’18 to take on “Horseman”, which was CDT Tokarsky’s first multi-pitch climb.

The United States Military Academy Model United Nations team competed at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL, for a weekend full of public speaking, debating, and policy making. The USMA team competed in a variety of topics ranging from NATO initiatives to the government regulation of big banks. The following cadets received Verbal Recognition for their work: Shiv Arya ’17; Jack Bagdadi ’17; and Christine Sidhu ’18. Additionally, the following cadets were crucial to the team effort: John Govern ’19; Brittany Scofield ’18; Derrick Siebman ’18; Cyrus Cappo ’17; Brad Torpey ’18; and Patrick Rogers ’19.

CENTER VALLEY, PA - Two members of the Army West Point baseball team earned spots on the Academic All-Patriot League team, announced by the league on Tuesday. Sophomore pitcher Matt Ball and junior infielder Kris Lindner were recognized for their efforts in the classroom, as well as on the diamond. To be considered for Academic All-Patriot League, a sophomore-standing student-athlete must maintain a minimum of a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and must have competed in the Patriot League Championships, unless missed due to injury. The Sports Information Directors then cast their votes from a pool of candidates. Lafayette's Michael Coniglio was named the league's Scholar Athlete of the Year. Of the 13 scholar-athletes recognized, three attend Lehigh, while two are from Army, Navy, Bucknell and Lafayette each. Holy Cross had one player voted to the team. Read More

Representatives from the American Chemical Society Club, MAJ Lucas Fallot (OIC), CDT Alex Parra, CDT Nicholas McNiffe, CDT Taylor Horne, and CDT Dowon Park, judged science fair projects at the annual Tri-county Science and Technology Fair located at White Plains High School. Since 1994, the Annual Tri-County Science & Technology Fair has been organized by the Putnam Children’s Discovery Center for the purpose of sharing science and technology with the community and rewarding children who spend their time creating innovative and well researched projects. Fair participation is open to students from public, private and home schools located in Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam Counties. This fair is the only one in the area with three levels: Elementary, Middle and High School. Most fairs only showcase one or two levels at most, but this fair provides a clear path for students to continue their interest in science and technology throughout their academic careers. A student must win a local fair at their school to qualify for the event. Prizes are given to winners at each level in the categories of Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space Science, Engineering/Technology, Environment, Health/Medicine, Math/Computers, Physics, and Psychology. More than 200 students displayed their projects in the fair.

LTC Steve Gariepy’s LW481, International Law class hosted Mr. Larry D. Johnson. Mr. Johnson served at the United Nations Headquarters as the Assistant-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs from 2006-2008 (Deputy Legal Counsel of the UN). He formerly served as the Legal Adviser of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna (1997-2001) and as Chef de Cabinet, Office of the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague (2003-2005). Mr. Johnson joined the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs in 1971 as an Assistant Legal Officer in the Codification Division and prior to his last posting at Headquarters served as Principal Legal Officer in the Office of the Legal Counsel (1989-1997). Among his special assignments was serving as Chief of Staff to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, United Nations Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia (1994). Mr. Johnson provided a fascinating and well received overview of the United Nations Board of Inquiry process, highlighting both the successes and challenges associated with 21st century peacekeeping operations, in support of the Department of Law at West Point.

US District Court Judge Kenneth Karas visited with cadets in the Advanced Constitutional Law seminar taught by Department of Law Professor and Constitutional Law Chair, Professor Tony DiSarro. Judge Karas was appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2004. Prior to that, he served as a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, where he was Chief of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Unit. Judge Karas spoke with the cadets about the death penalty and the 8th Amendment. He discussed his experiences as a prosecutor in the capital cases against the East African embassy bombers, and how, in a twist of irony, jurors voted against a death sentence to punish the defendants, reasoning that the defendants would prefer death to life imprisonment because they wanted to be seen as martyrs.

WEST POINT, NY - The pools for the Collegiate Rugby Championships have been announced on Thursday with Army West Point being selected to Pool C. The two-day tournament will be held on June 4-5 at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia. The Black Knights will be joined in Pool C by their service academy rival Navy, as well as Arizona and St. Joe's. "We are thrilled to be returning to compete at the 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship," said head coach Matt Sherman. "We will face a fierce and challenging pool. Despite our lack of any sevens experience in the team, if we continue to improve and perform to our potential, we can be competitive." Army will be making its first appearance in the CRCs since becoming a varsity program prior to the fall of 2014. The Cadets last competed in the CRCs in 2012 and advanced to the championship match in 2011. Read More

Civil engineering cadets in the Soil Mechanics and Foundation Design course participated in a trip section as part of Moles Student Day. The Moles organization (http://www.themoles.info/) is composed of individuals now or formerly engaged in the construction of tunnels, subways, sewers, or other heavy construction projects, both in the New York City area and around the world. The group hosts an annual Students Day, during which students studying geotechnical engineering are invited to tour some of the largest construction sites in the metro New York City area. This year, nearly 400 civil engineering students from 20 different academic institutions boarded a Circle Line Cruise boat in New York City and headed north to tour the Tappan Zee Bridge construction site. This $3.9B projected is slated for completion in 2018.

Members of the West Point Chaplains Office visited the ME491 Mechanical Powerplants course to thank the cadets who designed and fabricated replicas of the unique and symbolic Cadet Chapel keys. Chaplain (LTC) Cline, Mrs. Trevizo-Ramirez, and SSG Nichols expressed gratitude and shared some well-deserved and much appreciated refreshments. Chaplain Cline also presented a Chaplains Coin to Mr. Frank Blackmon, the engineering technician that supervised the additive manufacturing or 3D printing process.

The Combating Terror Center took 27 Cadets on a trip section to Washington D.C. on a visit that was designed to introduce Cadets to the agencies involved in various aspects of counterterrorism. The Cadets received briefings from key staff at the National Security Council at the White House and also visited the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the Central Intelligence Agency.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM - With the first 18-holes of the NCAA Golf Regional complete, Army ranks 11th with a 15-over score. The Black Knights have been paced by Peter Kim who finished the day in the tied for fifth spot with a one-under score. "The team got off to a great start today and ranked high at the turn," said head coach Brian Watts. "We were well prepared for the setup, but we had a rough stretch coming in. We had a good practice session after the round and we will be ready to go out and compete tomorrow. The weather is going to be a challenge, but these young men have shown resilience all year long and tough conditions." Read More