EN102 - The Relationship between Poetry and Music:  The Jazz Knights of the West Point Band delivered a lecture to approximately 150 cadets from EN102 (Literature) on the relationship between poetry and music entitled “Form Follows Function.” Throughout the two 55- minute presentations, SSG Mark Tonelli explained how both poets and musicians use particular poetic or musical forms to emphasize or otherwise feature certain themes or ideas within their work. The Jazz Knights’ presentation culminated with a musical arrangement and vocal performance of Robert Frost’s classic poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”  Photo by SFC William Calohan.

Soldier Design Competition Initial Design Briefings to RDECOM CSM:CSM Lebert Beharie travelled to West Point to meet with cadets on 12 different design teams representing student design efforts to solve soldier equipment as part of the annual Soldier Design Competition with M.I.T. CSM Beharie, SGM Chris Harris (ARL), and SGM Eric Usbeck (USMA G-3) comprised a senior enlisted panel charged with listening to 8-minute student design presentations and providing important veteran insights to assist the students in adjusting or improving their efforts as they prepare for a semi-finals round to be held 6 March at West Point and the finals round to be held 4 April at M.I.T).

Cadet Creative Writing Forum:  COL (R) Joe Cox, former Academy Professor in DEP, visited West Point on Wednesday, 13 February, and spoke to the Cadet Creative Writing Forum.  Author of The Written Wars: American War Prose through the Civil War and Garden’s Close, his most recent collection of poems, COL (R) Cox presented several of his own poems and commented on his personal reflections of life and war in his works. After his presentation, COL (R) Cox stayed for an informal discussion, which covered several topics including romance, family, the creative process, war, and death.

Course Field Trip – EV487 (Environmental Security):  19 cadets enrolled in EV487 Environmental Security participated in a field trip to the US Mission to the United Nations and to the United Nations itself. The cadets were briefed by USUN staff members who work in the Military Affairs branch of the US Mission and by experts from both the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN Development Programme. They then toured the UN building viewing both the General Assembly and the Security Council meeting rooms among other highlights. The briefings tied directly to class discussions on how military and NGO organizations can promote stability and security in developing nations and thus limit the global spread of terrorism and the ultimate involvement of the US military.

New Shoulder Insignia - A Historic Occasion:  The new cadet Energy and Environmental shoulder insignia was unveiled at the Energy and Environmental Officer (E2O).  The shoulder insignia is in subdued and dress versions, where the rockers represent the cadet rank, and the three wavy lines beneath the rockers represent a common phenomenon found many places in the environment such as energy and water.

The gymnastics team defeated the Mids at West Point on Sunday. The team won four of the six events, and Garrek Hojan-Clark (pommel horse), Chris Short (parallel bars), Jesse Glenn (floor exercise, all-around), and Kip Webber (still rings) earned individual victories.

The swimming & diving teams competed at the Patriot League Championships with the Black Knights earning four event titles. Firstie diver Chris Nguyen captured both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events to earn his third straight Patriot League Diver of the Meet honor. Chris became only the 10^th Patriot League student-athlete to earn four first-team all-conference swimming & diving certificates.

As a team, the men finished second with its highest point total in six years.  On the women’s side, plebe Molly Mucciarone won the title in the 50 freestyle, Army’s first winner in that event since 2001. Molly also was part of the program’s first 200-freestyle relay championship team since 2001. She was named first-team All-Patriot League. As a team, the women posted their highest point total in 12 seasons. Molly was also selected as our Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week.

The rifle team qualified for its 10^th straight NCAA Championship, which will be held March 8-9 in Columbus, Ohio. Individual qualifiers will be announced on Thursday. Several shooters were honored by the Great American Rifle Conference last week. Michael Matthews earned first-team honors in the smallbore discipline, honorable mention in air rifle and second-team in the combined scoring category. Richard Calvin was a second-team selection in air rifle, while Joseph Todaro earned honorable mention in smallbore.  Chris Malachoskey was named the GARC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Distance runner Lisa Junta, who won both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter run at the conference championship last week, was named the female Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Lisa was joined by Ricardo Galindo on the Patriot League Academic All-League teams as well.

Staying in the classroom, we are pleased to report that both cross country teams were named Division I All-Academic teams by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) by having held a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better and have started at least five runners at their respective NCAA regional championship.

Lacrosse goalkeeper Sam Somers also earned accolades this week. He was named the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week after his 18-save performance at Syracuse.

WKDT Radio Station:  During the Army-Navy Men’s and Women’s Basketball games, Cadets Drew Huelfer ‘16 and Bryce Tyson ‘14 conducted a halftime interview with GEN Martin Dempsey '74, Chairman, JCS.  Afterwards, the cadets received a coin from GEN Dempsey.

Pistol: The Pistol Team traveled to Annapolis to compete against the Naval Academy Pistol Team over Presidents Weekend.  Army won the Standard Pistol event with a score of 2142 to Navy’s 2140. However, on the second day of the match Navy won the Air Pistol event 2231 to 2200 and the Free Pistol event 2080 to 1998, giving them a 3-event aggregate score of 6451to Army’s 6340. The team is preparing for Nationals in two weeks.

Snowboarding:  The Snowboard Club competed in its first Slopestyle event. Cadet Wesley Sickman took first place, Cadet Chris Beatty took second, and Cadet Matt Clidas finished third, sweeping the podium. All of these members are one step closer to qualifying for Snowboard Nationals in Copper, CO.

Nordic Skiing:  The West Point Nordic Ski Team competed in their Regional competition at the Camp Ethan Allen Biathlon Range in Jericho, VT.  The Men took 2nd Place overall in the team standings.  Team captain James Bassette ‘14 led on the Men’s side with an overall individual 3rd Place finish.  Plebe Josh Bassette finished 5th overall and distinguished himself by taking 1st in the 1.5 km Skate-sprint.  Plebes Jon Gilbertson and Andrew Beckmann finished 10th and 14th overall, respectively. For the Women, Emily Buck ‘15 placed 3rd overall in the individual standings after placing 2nd, 5th, and 6th in previous races.  The Women took a 3rd Place overall team finish.

Parachute Team:  Twenty-five cadets from the West Point Parachute Team conducted wind tunnel training in Nashua, NH. During the three day period, the team utilized seven and half hours of free fall time.

Foreign Language and Culture Forum (French):  Twenty-five cadets travelled to Quebec City, Canada to visit the 2e Bataillon du Royal 22e Regiment at La Citadelle. Cadets learned some key differences between the US military structure and the Canadian military structure. Cadets were honored with a visit to the regimental veteran’s chamber where General George Vanier is buried.

Pipes and Drums:  The United States Corps of Cadets Pipes & Drums performed a halftime show for the Army Men’s Basketball game versus Colgate. The band performed the tunes “Scotland the Brave”, “Rowan Tree”, and the always popular “Army Strong” at center court for the Army home crowd.

Debate Council and Forum (Debate Team):  The Army Debate Team competed at the CEDA East Regional Tournament at Western Connecticut State University.  Cadets Michael Barlow and Jay Saker finished in third place while qualifying for the National Debate Tournament. The National Debate Tournament is the premier debate event in the nation and the Army Debate Team has not had a team qualify for this event since 2007.

Scoutmasters’ Council:  The key leaders of the Scoutmaster Council travelled to Park City, UT over Presidents Day weekend.  This was in preparation for the annual SMC Scout Camporee in April which brings 5500 scouts to Lake Frederick.

Glee Club: The West Point Glee Club travelled to Washington, D.C.  Co-sponsored by the West Point Alumni Glee Club and the Marcia K. Randall Glee Club Endowment, the Cadet Glee Club performed at Walter Reed’s Wounded Warrior Center where they were pleased to visit with and dedicate a song to 1LT Nick Vogt ‘10. The club appeared on Sunday afternoon in a free public concert, VETStravaganza, to a full house.  The concert was designed to draw attention to the value that Veterans bring to employers.  “The American Warrior” featured a reading of the poem by MG(R) Alan Salisbury ‘58 by Glee Club Alumni COL (R -USAF) Malcolm Agnew ‘49, and former Glee Club President CPT Lisa Beum ‘09.

Racquetball:  The Cadet Racquetball Team had a successful trip to the Regional Championships for Eastern Collegiate Racquetball Conference (ECRC) in Bethlehem, PA this past weekend. Top finishers from the competition included: • Runner-up: Men’s 2 Collegiate Blue Doubles: Cadets Daniel Blaine and Patrick Innes • Runner-up: Men’s 3 Collegiate Blue Doubles: Cadets John Hendler and John Markham • Runner-up, Men’s 3 Collegiate Blue Singles: Cadet John Markham • Runner-up, Women’s 1 Collegiate Red Singles: Cadet Sarah Hutchison.  ECRC presented regional awards for the 2012-13 season and the Women’s Team took home 3rd place honors overall. Additionally, team captain Megan Maurer was honored with the Daren Hidalgo award for sportsmanship. The award is given to one player in ECRC annually, and is named in honor of former USMA graduate and Team Captain Daren Hidalgo ‘09 who was killed in action in Afghanistan in February 2011.

Hertz Fellowship Finalist:  Cadet Brandon Clumpner has been selected as one of the 50 finalists for the 2013-2014 Hertz Fellowship.  Considered to be the Nation's most generous support for graduate education in the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences, the Hertz Fellowship is valued at more than a quarter million dollars per student and support lasts for up to five years. Brandon has a 2nd round interview in Newark on March 1 with award announcements expected by April 1. Brandon has previously been selected as the Naval Post Graduate School fellowship winner in January.

New Faces of Engineering:  Mechanical Engineering major Cadet Adam Leemans was selected as a finalist in the New Faces of Engineering national competition by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The competition seeks to recognize and highlight the diverse backgrounds of the rising generation of outstanding engineers in the United States. The top ranked academic performer in his class, Cadet Leemans is also the Brigade Energy and Environmental Officer, Captain of the Triathlon team, and will be pursuing graduate studies related to energy on a Rotary scholarship in England.

First Edition of Cadet-Run Newspaper, Past in Review:  Cadets Stephanie Wangeman '13, Teddy Fong '14, and Calla Glavin '14 helped lead an effort to publish the first edition of the Cadet-run newspaper Past in Review in several decades. These cadets liaised with senior Academy leadership and coordinated efforts with dozens of fellow cadets to create a new Brigade Staff position (Assistant Brigade S-2/PAO, currently Cadet Glavin) who will serve as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper in an official capacity.

Cadet Paper Publication:  The peer-reviewed Journal of Special Forces Medicine accepted a technical paper for publication with two cadets as lead authors. The article, Single versus Double Routing of the Band in the Combat Application Tourniquet was written based on detailed experiments done during a summer 2012 AIAD to the Army Institute of Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houston, TX.  Cadets Brandon Clumpner ‘13 and Ryan Polston ‘14, both mechanical engineering majors with a focus on bio-mechanics, are joined in the authorship by several medical doctors and scientific staff who supported the effort.

STEM Outreach, Mission Impossible – Save Eggly:  Cadets from the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Department challenged the West Point Middle School 6th Grade class to use science, technology, engineering, and math concepts to build a rescue device to save Eggly from atop a mountain surrounded by lava. The cadets included Paige Youngerman, Alessandra Coote, Holly Schlotterbeck, Melissa Wells, Christal Theriot, Jean Presley, Jennifer Alonso, and Mackenzie Vaughn.

Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering Colloquium:  DTRA, Nuclear Science and Engineering Research Center hosted an NE400 Nuclear Engineering Seminar Series Colloquium which was given by Dr. Richard Garwin on “Reflections on Nuclear Weapons: Then and Now”.

Engineers Week:  A contingent of West Point Chemical Engineering cadets celebrated Engineer Week and enhanced their knowledge of chemical engineering by travelling to the annual Mid-Hudson Technical Societies Engineers Week Banquet. The technical program included a very important chemical engineering related talk “A Future Made of Glass” on the manufacturing of glass components for industry by Dr. John E LaSala ‘72 and former USMA faculty member.

Guest Lecture – EV396 (Environmental Biological Systems):  Dr. Dwight D. Bowman, a Professor of Parasitology at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, gave a presentation to Cadets in EV396 (Environmental Biological Systems).  Dr. Bowman is an expert in the field of veterinary parasitology and introduced Cadets to a wide-range of protozoans, worms, other parasitic organisms, and discussed methods of transmission. Dr. Bowman advised Cadets on preventive measures and left them with vivid images of the consequences of not preparing for the medical threat in regions where they may lead Soldiers in the future.

Budget Saving Initiatives:  Approximately 500 cadets in General Psychology for Leaders (PL100) took an online WPR using the BlackBoard program.  99% of the cadets were able to successfully logon to the network, access the test, and submit their answers. Preliminary analysis of cadets’ performance suggests no difference in performance between the paper test administered last semester and the online version administered this semester. The PL100 program intends to continue using online WPRs and will also conduct an online Term End Examination in May.

RecycleMania Video and Current Standings:  The 2013 RecycleMania video is out and circulating through the Corps! The video, which features the Dean, IOCT all-star Cadet Teddy Fong, and Rabble Rouser Cadet Christen Constantino has served to increase awareness regarding the competition.  View the video by clicking here. After two weeks of competition, USMA is doing very well. We are currently 4th of 311 schools in the Per Capita Classic, 10th of 137 in the Paper Division, 2nd of 137 in the Cardboard Division, and 11th of 131 in the Bottles/Cans Division. We are also 52nd of 311 in the Gorilla Division (bulk weight division). Stats can be viewed weekly at http://recyclemaniacs.org/.

From the Athletic Director, the women’s basketball team won its last two games and, aided by Navy’s loss in the regular-season finale, claimed the No. 1 seed in this year’s Patriot League Tournament. Both teams posted 11-3 records, but a season sweep of the Mids gave Dave Magarity’s squad the right to host throughout the conference playoffs. On Tuesday, the team made history by winning four of the Patriot League major awards. Magarity earned his first Patriot League Coach of the Year honor, Anna Simmers was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, and in a league first, Kelsey Minato took both the Patriot League Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors. Army is the first team to win all four of those honors in the same season. Kelsey and Anna were named to the All-Patriot League First Team, while Aimee Oertner joined Minato on the league’s All-Rookie squad. The Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team and Anna’s all-league selections were all unanimous. 

The men’s basketball team was also well represented on the Patriot League awards list. Zach Spiker was honored as the Patriot League Coach of the Year and Kyle Wilson was the unanimous choice as the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Zach is just the third Army coach in program history, and first since 2002, to be named a conference’s top coach. Kyle is the program’s third Rookie of the Year, but the first in 20 years.  Ella Ellis was a unanimous first-team All-Patriot League pick, becoming the first Black Knight to earn multiple first-team accolades in 17 years. Wilson was a unanimous All-Rookie team selection and was joined on the squad by Kyle Toth.  The team finished the regular season with a program record eight Patriot League wins (the first winning season since 1984-85) and earned the No. 4 seed in the postseason. 

Two of the longest-standing records in their respective programs fell over the weekend when lacrosse’s Garrett Thul broke the Army all-time scoring mark and track’s Lisa Junta topped the Academy record in the 5,000-meter run.  Thul scored seven goals in the win over Michigan at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium to run his career total to 141 and pass Scott Finlay’s mark of 140 that had stood since 1978. Thul was named both the Orange Bowl Lacrosse Classic Most Valuable Player and the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.

After breaking Army Athletics Hall of Fame member Teresa Sobiesk’s Academy record in the 3,000 meters at the Patriot League Championships, Junta topped her mark in the 5,000 meters en route to the ECAC title. The previous mark had stood since 1987. 

There were two other record-setting performances on the track last weekend. Katrina Donarski topped her own Academy record in the 500 meters and the men’s 4x400-meter relay team of Matt Green, Chris Smith, Stevyn Spees and Patrick Taylor posting a new Army standard. 

Lisa, Garrett, Ella and Anna were all honored as Army Athletic Association Co-Athletes of the Week. Ella capped his regular season with back-to-back 30-point efforts, while Anna scored 21 points in both games last week and showed the defensive prowess that led to her conference award. Rounding out the list of accolades this week was softball outfielder Amanda Nguyen. Amanda was the Patriot League Player of the Week after hitting .643 and scoring six runs in four games last weekend.

As the winter season winds down, three teams get their chance for postseason glory this week. The rifle team will compete in the NCAA Championships for the 10^th straight year, while the hockey team heads to Mercyhurst for an AHA best-of-three series beginning Friday. The wrestling team is at the EIWA championships Friday and Saturday. 

Powerlifting:  The Army Powerlifting Team competed in the Albany Strength Powerlifting Championship.  Even without their senior members who were celebrating 100^th Night Weekend, the team crushed the competition.  Four out of five members placed 1st in their division, and the team set several NY State lifting records. Captain Adam Rubalcaba set three New York state records in the 220 pound weight class division with a 610 pound squat, 440 pound bench press and 615 pound dead lift. Cadet Sidney Blecher set two NY State records with a 315 pound bench press and an astonishing 500 pound squat. New York state records were also broken by team members Anthony Rombold and Lawrence Cavins. The team will next be travelling to Killeen, TX for the USAPL Collegiate Nationals on April 12-14.

Debate Council and Forum (Model UN):  The Model United Nations team competed in the Princeton Interactive Crisis Simulation (PICSim). This conference involved an international flavor, with more than half the participants from universities outside of the United States. The West Point delegation won 1st Place, having been awarded the title of Best Delegation each time the West Point Model United Nations team has attended the conference.  The following cadets performed exceptionally well: Best Delegate (First Place): Brandon Moore ’14, Allan Newman ’14, Patrick Beauregard ’15, Anthony Veith ’16, Or Taylor ’15. Outstanding Delegate (Second Place): Jack Worthington ’14, Jason Lally ’15, Sean Kealey ’15 and Jonathan Richards ’16 also represented West Point excellently at PICSim.

Paintball:  Travelled to Poughkeepsie, NY for practice at an indoor facility in preparation for the National level events in April. 

Team Handball Team (Women):  West Point Women’s Team Handball took fourth place at Los Angeles Team Handball Club’s first tournament.  The team will host its annual Laura Walker Tournament March 30-31 at Arvin Gymnasium in honor of 1LT Laura Walker ’03, a former West Point handball player who died in Afghanistan in 2005.

Mixed Martial Arts (Kendo):  Army Kendo competed in the 20th annual Shidogakuin Tournament, where the cadets fought against opponents from university and private club teams from all over the northeastern US.

Climbing (Mountaineering):  The climbing team competed at their 3rd CCS competition at The Edge rock gym. The team performed extremely well with Julian Barker taking second in the men’s category and Zhaina Myrakhanova taking second in the Women’s category. Mike Eack also had an amazing day as he lead climbed a 5.12 for 735 points and Matt Fitzgerald excelled in the bouldering category.

Debate Council and Forum (Debate):  The Army Debate Team competed at JV/Novice Nationals at Towson University. Cadets Michael Barlow and James Saker won six of their seven preliminary rounds but lost on 2-1 decision in semi-finals to George Mason University in the JV division. Cadets Barlow and Saker earned the third and thirteenth speaker awards in JV, respectively. Cadets Leslie Cornelius and Bradley Hodgkins also advanced but lost to the top seed in quarterfinals on 3-0 decision. In the novice division, Cadets Caleb Stevens and Theodore Lipsky advanced to the final round but were defeated by Liberty University on 3-0 decision. Cadet Lipsky also won the eighth place speaker award in the novice division.

Fencing:  The Women’s Fencing Team produced two individual finalists at the NIWFA Fencing Conference Championships in the elimination bracket of 16 athletes- Cadet Darcy Parks in Sabre finishing 11th and Cadet Elizabeth Judd in Epee at 15th. In a field of all varsity teams, the Women’s Epee Squad finished first in the club division. Cadet Tessa Knight had one of the best performances of the day going 11-5 on C Strip Epee. Cadet Leah Fynaut was awarded the All Conference and All Academic Awards from the NIWFA. The Men’s Fencing Team competed in their MAC Conference Championship and brought home the gold! In a tough championship format, Cadet Blake Gordon won the gold in Individual Men’s Sabre. Cadet Marvin Hargraves swept the A Pool in Epee coming out in 1st Place and after the individual finals finished in 2nd Place in a very tough fought match against our rival from Stevens Tech. The Men’s Epee Squad consisting of Cadets Marvin Hargraves, Dave Maynor and Mark Owens took home the bronze trophy for 3rd place. The Men’s Epee Squad finished 1st and the Men’s Team finished 1st in that division as well. A unanimous vote of all Fencing Coaches awarded the Men’s Team with the 2013 Sportsmanship Award, and Coach Bob Grieser with the 2013 MAC Conference Coach of the Year Award.

Skeet & Trap:  The Skeet & Trap Team made their annual trip to the historic Camp Fire Club of America. The club counts Teddy Roosevelt as one of its founding members and is one of the oldest shooting clubs in the New York Region. A variety of unorthodox shooting games not usually shot in collegiate competition gave the Camp Fire shooters the edge as the two teams contested the Amos Bock Trophy. The trophy is named after 2LT Bock ‘04, a former team member who was killed in action in 2006 in Iraq.

Jewish Chapel Choir:  Cadets participated in Jewish Collegiate Festival of the Performing Arts along with groups from Boston University, Columbia/Barnard/Jewish Theological Seminary and Brandeis University.

Snow Sports (Snowboarding):  The Snowboard Club competed in its last regional competition at Windham Mountain for the last of five slope style competitions.  Wesley Sickman took first place, Matt Clidas took 3^rd, and Chris Beatty was selected to compete in the USASA national’s competition for Slope style.

Success is achieved more though courage and perseverance than innate talent, according to a United States Military Academy cadet.

Ben Ferrell '14, who graduated from Maryville High School, spoke at Montgomery Ridge Intermediate, Coulter Grove Intermediate, Maryville Junior High, and Maryville High schools. The cadet, who is on spring break, was making a brief stop in town.

"In eighth grade, I tried out for the track team," said Ferrell, addressing Maryville Junior High School's students. "I wasn't a very good runner, and I wasn't very fast at the time, so I didn't make the team. I also tried out for the soccer team, but I wasn't very good at that, either. I didn't make the A team. I didn't make the B team. I made the C team, and I was pretty much a bench warmer."

He tried out a lot of things at Maryville Middle School. "When I was in eighth grade, I was still figuring stuff out. I had no idea what I wanted to do, which is why I wanted to share my experience with you."

Ferrell continued to try a lot of things as a high-schooler. He played violin in the orchestra, competed on the swimming team, and worked as lifeguard.

The cadet also did fairly well, academically. However, he didn't get all As.

"The service academies look at how hard you work," Ferrell said. "I tried really hard at a lot of things. They saw that I failed at stuff, but I got up and tried other things."

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Before placing her father's ring into the crucible at the 13th Annual West Point Class Ring Memorial Melt held on March 4, 2013, at the Pease & Curren refinery in Warwick, Rhode Island, Catherine Downing, daughter of Colonel John P. Downing Jr. '45, told class officers present from the Class of 2014: "In ancient times, people believed that the blood that flowed from one's ring finger went straight to the heart. I know that the values my dad learned at West Point -- Duty, Honor, Country -- went straight to his heart. I hope for you cadets that my dad's heart's blood will strengthen you in your future." In fact, the strength coming from Colonel Downing's ring and the rings of 36 other graduates donated is making an impact on the cadets now.

Cadet Jeff Ferebee, President of the Class of 2014, noted that a strong feeling "swept over" him at the Ring Melt. "This event showed a special side of the West Point family paradigm," he said, "a group of those who have lived the dream and continue to live the dream by giving to us, the ones joining that family--the Class of 2014 is indebted to the Association of Graduates and the donors who made this event possible."

Family figured prominently in this year's Ring Melt. This year's ceremony saw the most family members of donors in attendance, including Colonel Richard Norton and his son Tim, who placed their uncle's ring, Colonel Robert McCord '47, into the crucible. Mr. Jake Ruppert '76 was also on hand to donate his own ring, wanting its gold to be part of the ring of his nephew, who is a member of the Class of 2014. Another living donor, Colonel (Ret) Kenneth Webber Jr. '48, divided his ring in two: half was donated last year so that its gold could be part of his granddaughter's class ring, Candace Webber '13, and this year his grandson, Cadet Kenneth Webber '14, and his son, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Kurt Webber '79, placed the other half into the crucible.

The most rings in this year's program came from the Class of 1964, the 50-Year Affiliation Class to that of 2014. Before placing the ring of her husband, Colonel Leon Yourtee III '64, into the crucible, his widow, Mrs. Roberta Yourtee, foretold of the familial bonds awaiting the cadets as members of the Long Gray Line. "The greatest gift my husband left me was the Class of 1964," she said.

The rings in the crucible, along with gold shavings taken from all Ring Melt ceremonies dating from the inaugural one in 2001 and now representing 293 rings, were melted in a 2,300-degree furnace and poured into a mold to form a solid gold bar weighing nearly two pounds. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the bar was turned over to Jayne Roland, a representative from Balfour, the jeweler contracted with manufacturing the rings that will be handed out to the Class of 2014 during Ring Weekend in August.

Upon inspecting the shiny new rings on their fingers, may the lessons and values contained in the gold reach the cadets' hearts and may the gold reflect the faces of the Long Gray Line family to which they now rightly belong.

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Dozens of Hillsborough County high school students spent the day learning life lessons outside of the classroom. Teens selected to participate in the West Point Leadership & Ethics Conference are identified as some of the highest achievers in Bay area classrooms.

Their teachers during last week's seminar at the University of Tampa were students themselves. They are local U.S. Military Academy cadets on spring leave from West Point. While they're still in school, they're experts on today's lesson: ethics.

"We have a Cadet Honor Code which is that a cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do. It's something that we live with on a daily basis," said Cadet Sean Minton.

The cadets are passing along their higher standard to hand-selected high school juniors who are following in their footsteps. The crux of today's conversation: the right choice isn't always the popular one.

"I'm here to try and break that peer pressure boundary, and to help them make the right moral decision as they go through life," said Cadet Nicholas Czupryn.

This is the fifth year Tampa's West Point Society has hosted the Leadership & Ethics Conference. Only a few other cities offer similar programs for high-achieving high school students.

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Former Prepsters Return:  Former USMAPS prepsters reached back to Cadet Candidates to offer tips on making a successful transition to USMA. The cadets shared their USMA experiences and answered questions in small and large group settings.

Critical Thinking about Leadership:  Information Literacy and Critical Thinking Plebe classes hosted a select group of outstanding upper-class cadets to learn firsthand lessons in cadet leadership. Fourth class cadets Justen Anka, Lindsey Danilack, Eric Triller, Patrick Samuels, Will Goodwin, Ashli Carlson, Orlando Sonza, Chris Kelly, Duncan Aylor, Samuel Sands, Danny Freeman, Christopher Bolin, Alex Morrow, Bill Owens, Jacob Swatley, Sally Sittnick, and Isaac Murray engaged in informal conversations over topics including academic achievement, scholarship competitions, summer training requirements, physical and military development and preparing for their initial leadership opportunity when assigned their new cadet in the Fall.

MX400 Guest Speaker Series:  Four lieutenants and a captain from 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (Joint Base Lewis-McChord) who recently redeployed from Kandahar Province spoke about their combat experiences to 550 firsties in MX400. In the middle of the event, cadets posted questions for the speakers via a mobile application. In addition to answering some of the questions during the event, the speakers continued to engage in the mobile discussion space after the event—even a day after—thereby extending the learning outside the walls of Robinson Auditorium.

Cadet in Society of Women Engineers Magazine:   Cadet Jennifer Alonso ’14, CE major, along with COL Daisie Boettner and Dr. Elizabeth Bristow were among the women highlighted in the Winter 2013 Society of Women Engineers Magazine. The article by Sandra Guy is entitled “Women in Military Labs Contribute on a Multitude of Fronts” and highlights the many contributions women in the Department of Defense are making in science and technology.  The article can be accessed at http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/swe/winter13/#/40.

PY201 – Evolution of Beauty:  PY201 (Philosophy) students enjoyed an evening lecture on "Evolution of Beauty" with USMA Band member SFC Sam Kaestner and the West Point Woodwind Quintet.  Encouraging cadets to think associatively and innovatively, the event illustrated how art and music from Neoclassical, Impressionist, and Abstract-Expressionist traditions can facilitate and complement the exploration of larger philosophical ideas. The presentation creatively juxtaposed works of visual art by Jacques Louis David, Claude Monet, Mark Rothko, and Chuck Close with the ensemble’s performances of music by W. A. Mozart, Maurice Ravel, John Cage, and Nico Muhly.

The 2013 National Collegiate Boxing Championships will be held on April 4, 5, and 6 at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. "We are very pleased to have our national collegiate championships hosted at a site that has the superb history of championship bouts that Foxwoods has enjoyed," said NCBA president Ken Cooper.

The NCBA, with 35 universities and all 4 service academies as members, first will send their athletes to regional competitions. Those that emerge victorious will move on to the championships at Foxwoods Resort. Among the schools that reached the NCBA championships last year were Penn State, University of Nevada Reno, UNLV, University of Massachusetts, Iowa State, West Virginia, Cal Berkeley, University of Washington and all four of the U.S. service academies. In total, 19 universities competed in the 2012 championships.

This will be the 38th national collegiate boxing championships and the U.S. service academies have enjoyed great success with their athletes. The academies have won 28 of the 37 national collegiate titles to date. The U.S. Air Force Academy took the title in 2012. Twelve championships in different weight classes will be contested on Saturday night, April 6, at Foxwoods Resort.

Read about the Army team!

Thursday's bouts will be open to the public for no charge, and will start at 1pm. The semifinals occur on Friday night with the first match at 5. The finals start on Saturday night at 7. Ticket prices are $35 and $25. Tickets will be $15 for those with a student ID. For those with a military ID, tickets are $30 and $20.

West Point cadets were starting from behind. Watching as their rivals from the Naval Academy laid claim to the first prize of the Intercollegiate Pistol Championship, Army stormed back in the second half to capture team and individual titles in NRA Women's Air Pistol Championships.

Four of the five championships remained unclaimed, but the wins would not come easy. The marksmanship, patience, and swagger developed throughout the winter pistol season would be put to the test. Especially in the second overall championship -- Women's Air Pistol.

The Naval Academy won Women's Air Pistol for the last three years. While the team has always been solid, it was the performance of last year's Overall Women champ Emily Meyer that truly made a difference. But Meyer isn't here. She graduated in 2012.

The same could not be said for Army's star shooter.

Enter Heather Deppe. Winner of the 2011 Women's Overall championship, Deppe experienced a number of narrow defeats to Meyer over the past few seasons. But Meyer was gone. The title was her's to take. The one match that always eluded her.

Read more about Deppe's competition

Aviation:  The West Point Aviation Club Flying team won the Northeast Collegiate Regional Flying Team Competition in New Bedford, MA.  Their total score for the competition was 548, with the next highest score of 441 achieved by a school that historically dominates this competition. The Flying Team is now invited to the National Competition at Ohio State University in May. 

Water Polo:  The West Point Water Polo team hosted seventeen teams as part of the 4th Annual CPT John Hallett Memorial Tournament at West Point. The Water Polo Team hosts this tournament in honor of John Hallett, former captain, who was killed in action in southern Afghanistan in 2009.  The West Point Water Polo team competed in six games, finishing fourth overall. Two noteworthy victories were the 20-7 victory over the Coast Guard Academy and the 15-9 victory over the United States Naval Academy club team, marking the fifth consecutive win of Army Water Polo over Navy Water Polo.

Snow Support (Ski Patrol):  Forty cadets travelled to the Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, VT to conduct ski and toboggan (S&T) skills testing for their National Ski Patrol (NSP) certifications. Fifteen of the 18 candidate patrollers passed their S&T skills testing and were granted their NSP certifications.

Team Handball Team (Men): West Point Team Handball hosted the largest and most competitive club tournament in the country this season. West Point lost the semi-final game to the tournament Champion Team, New York City Team Handball, by a score of 25-20.

Orienteering:  The West Point Orienteering Team began their spring break by travelling to Shawnee, Kansas for the U.S. Intercollegiate Championships. The team secured their 11th consecutive and 35th Intercollegiate national title.  The West Point Orienteering team swept the men’s varsity category with Cadets Nolan Miles ’13 placing first, Zach Schroeder ’14 second, and Andrew Eck ’13 third by only one second. Cadet Judelyn Farrow ’15 placed third in the women’s varsity category.

Judo:  Selected West Point Judo athletes attend training at the University of Puerto Rico during Spring Break in preparation for the Collegiate Nationals. The athletes had the opportunity to train four times with Olympic Coach Hiromi Tomita and his athletes.  On the back end of spring break, athletes travelled to Iowa State University for National Collegiate Judo where they crushed the competition by winning gold in both the Men’s and Women’s Novice divisions and silver in the two Advanced divisions.  Combined, West Point Judo athletes won 62 individual matches at this challenging event.

Pistol:  At the National Intercollegiate Pistol Championships at Fort Benning, GA Cadet Heather Deppe ’13 shot the team high score three times and earned the individual bronze medal.  The team won the overall title by besting Navy by nearly 40 points in the three-event aggregate. Eight Army Pistol Team members earned 14 All-America honors. 

Fencing:  At the North America Cup Championship in Sabre in Reno, NV, Cadet Domenic Casinelli finished 24^th of 225 qualifiers in the Division II Event, and improved to 14^th of 331 in Division III.   Cadet Casinelli now has the opportunity to qualify for the USFA Summer National Championships. 

Triathlon Team:  During Spring Break, the West Point Triathlon team travelled to Scottsdale, AZ for an intense week of training in preparation for the USAT Collegiate Nationals race which will be held in Tempe, AZ in April. The team logged over 5,250 miles of swimming, cycling, and running with each athlete completing nearly 21,000 feet of climbing in the mountains around the Phoenix area.

Scuba Team: The Scuba club took 25 cadets to San Pedro Island off the coast of Belize to dive the famous Blue Hole and see sharks, eels, jellyfish and squids.

2^nd Annual West Point Chemical Engineering Fuel Cell Car:  Cadets of CH152, Advanced General Chemistry, participated in the second annual West Point Chemical Engineering Fuel Cell Car Competition sponsored by the West Point Chemical Engineering Program. Given a fuel Cell car, a target distance, and a load, the cadets determine the amount of hydrogen gas in order to fuel the car and achieve the distance desired without going over the finish line.  Each hour had a winning team that was awarded a West Point Chemical Engineering Ruler.

West Point Selects 6 Teams for Soldier Design Competition: Twelve teams with advisors and cadets representing five different academic departments presented their projects as candidates for entry into the MIT-West Point 10th Annual Soldier Design Competition. The competition seeks feasible, near-term engineering solutions that will support soldier and/or first responder needs. The Center for Innovation and Engineering is the West Point host and liaison with M.I.T. for the preparation and assessment of the cadet teams. This year’s group of teams represents a very diverse and strong field of projects. The projects proceeding to the final round of competition are as follows: Lighter-Than-Air Radiological Survey UAV (P&NE),  Non-Lethal 40mm Grenade Obscurant (CME), Stryker Rear Air-Guard Hatches (Re-Design) (CME), B-Hut/SIP-Hut Deployable Living Structures(CME), Fatty-Acid Disinfection System (C&LS/GEnE), and Multiplexed Diagnostics (C&LS).

EV387 (Meteorology) Field Study:  Students in EV387 (Meteorology) placed a research wind sensor next to the North Dock helipad as part of a field study of winds around West Point. Simultaneous measurements will be taken from 5 locations on post and analyzed. The research furthers students understanding of terrain winds and supports a G3 and 2nd AVN inquiry about wind sock locations.

Waste-To-Energy Research:  Cadets Floren Herrera, Louis Tobergte, and Jessica Niemiec spent their spring break collaborating with research colleagues from ARDEC Picatinney, Benet Labs, and SUNY Cobleskill to further their waste-to -energy research funded by RDECOM and SERDP (DOD-EPA-DOE Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program). The team made great progress in designing, building, and testing two alternative gas scrubbing schemes that will support a rotary kiln waste to energy gasifier for FOB waste to electricity applications.

SE/EM 403 Capstone Project :  Cadets Erin Farinelli, Cody Ross, Stuart Tepoorten, and Cody Nyp participated in a field experiment at the ASA(ALT) sponsored Technical Support and Operational Analysis (TSOA) Activity for deployable force protection at Camp Blanding, Florida.  As part of an SE/EM 403 Capstone Project, the cadets are partnering with Night Vision Laboratory to develop re-design options for the Cerberus Lite ground radar system currently fielded in USCENTCOM to create an enhanced modular system with broader CONOPS than the current design affords.

Cadet Competitive Cyber Team (C3T) in Codegate 2013 YUT Challenge:  TheCadet Competitive Cyber Team (C3T) competed in the Codegate 2013 YUT Challenge, an international cyber security competition hosted in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The team participated remotely, occupying computer labs in Thayer Hall, and spent 36 hours straight solving a series of cyber challenges in the areas of digital forensics, software vulnerabilities, web application exploitation, and binary data analysis. The C3T placed 79th out of 285 competitors, a respectable showing for their first team competition, especially considering the experience level of the competitors.

Department of English & Philosophy cadets honored author Toni Morrison by performing her works during a dinner hosted by the West Point Association of Graduates on March 22. Cadet Krystal Onyema sang "He Is By" from the opera Margaret Garner (libretto by Toni Morrison) and seven other cadets read passages from her novels, including Beloved and Home.

Watch video of the presentations

"I never expected this kind of welcome," Morrison said after the cadet presentations. "You have amazed and pleased me -- every single one of you."

To conclude the evening, Cadet Brandi-el Cook presented Morrison with a plaque featuring photos of Roscoe Robinson, the first black four-star general in the U.S. Army, and Henry O. Flipper, the Academy's first black graduate.

"You have in your hand the preliminary history of African Americans at West Point, and the great things they went on to do," El-Cook said.

See photos from the evening

Read about Morrison's lecture earlier in the day

Some cadets choose to finish their Spring Break completing the 26.2 mile component of the Bataan Memorial March in New Mexico.  The Bataan Memorial Death March is a challenging march through the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range, conducted in honor of the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II, sacrificing their freedom, health and, in many cases, their very lives.  Army Strong!

What makes the United States Military Academy at West Point so different from other schools and service academies? We break it all down in this issue of "West Point" magazine.

Categories include

• People
• Campus
• Academics
• Tradition
• Culture
• Alumni

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Climbing Team:  The West Point Climbing Team travelled to Wallingford, CT to compete in its fourth Collegiate Climbing Series of the season. West Point finished in second place behind R.I.T., but succeeded in its goal of defeating Navy.  

Cadet Fine Arts Forum (Jazz):  The Cadet Jazz Forum enjoyed a visit to the legendary Village Vanguard Jazz Club in NYC and was treated to a mesmerizing performance from iconic jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and his jazz quartet.  After the show, Mr. Rosenwinkel and the band took time to chat with the forum’s jazz enthusiasts, graciously answering their questions.

Pipes and Drums:  The United States Corps of Cadets and the USMA Band worked together in their first of four sessions of the “Pipes & Drums Recording Project”, setting the groundwork to record a future album set on the stage of Ike Hall. 

Skeet & Trap:  The West Point Skeet & Trap team reinforced its position as the preeminent collegiate shotgun team in the Northeastern U.S. at the annual Yale Invitational shoot held on the grounds of the Hartford Gun Club.  The cadets dominated the competition, winning the team overall trophy with 668 targets.  Cadet Andrew Laib ‘14 won the award for high overall individual shooter, with Cadet Robert Sterling ‘15 taking third place in the overall competition.  Laib also took second place in the American skeet competition, as well as second place in American trap. Top honors in the American trap competition went to Cadet Sterling who edged out Cadet Laib by one target in a shoot-off.

Marathon Team:  The West Point Marathon Team travelled to Fairfield, Connecticut to race in the Boston Buildup 30k. For the men, Cadet Ben Shields ‘15 led the team by finishing second among the field of approximately 100 runners.  On the women’s side, Cadet Mackenzie Vaughn ‘14 continued to pace the women’s team as West Point’s top female.

Crew Team:  The Crew Team participated in the Rollins Invitational.  The men’s varsity eight finished 2nd out of 5 boats, missing first by 1 second. The women’s varsity eight also finished 2nd out of 5 boats missing first by 5.3 seconds, while the novice women’s four took 1st of 2 boats.  The men’s novice team went to Oak Ridge, TN for training and development.  Generous cadet parents and the West Point Society of Knoxville treated the team to six meals during the week.

Fencing Team:  The Fencing Team won a record 27 medals at the SAC Conference Championships held at the College of William and Mary. Cadet Marvin Hargraves took home the Gold for the first time in Men’s Epee defeating Navy in the final round of competition. The Men’s Epee Squad, led by Cadet Hargraves with team mates Cadet Mark Owens and Cadet Dave Maynor, finished second place for the day – the highest finish for the squad. Cadet Blake Gordon also brought home the Gold for the first time in Men’s Sabre defeating rival Navy.  Cadet Gordon and his teammates Cadet Dom Casinelli and Cadet Zach Leonard finished second as a squad. The Men’s Foil squad finished in second place, sending Cadet Jeff Nielsen and Cadet Andrew Wiggins to the individual finals where they both medaled – finishing 3rd and 6th respectively.  Cadet Alexandria Rodgers led her women’s epee squad to their second consecutive conference championship win over University of Pittsburgh, and sent both Cadet Rodgers and Cadet Elizabeth Judd to the individual finals where they finished 3rd and 2nd respectively for the day. Cadet Darcy Parks won her first medal at the championships winning bronze, and then leading her women’s sabre squad to a 3rd place finish over Virginia Tech. Women’s Foil led by Cadet Leah Fynaut improved their standing over last year, beating out University of Miami to finish in 7th place.

Foreign Language and Culture Forum (Korean-American Relations):  Members of the Korean-American Relations Seminar attended KASCON, one of the largest Korean-American conferences in the nation with participants from over 40 colleges and universities. The three day conference provided cadets the opportunity to attend seminars designed to promote open forums where issues pertinent to the Korean and Asian American communities could be examined. Cadets gained a better understanding of the numerous political, social, and cultural issues that affect Asian American communities today.

Mixed Martial Arts (Kendo):  The West Point Kendo Club fought in Harvard University's 17th annual "shoryuhai" kendo tournament.

 Mixed Martial Arts (Karate):  Five members of the Army Karate Team travelled to Albuquerque, New Mexico to compete in the 2013 United States Karate Alliance’s National Competition.  Cadet John Carson placed third in Men’s Black Belt Kata as well as third in Men’s Black Belt Kumite (middle weight). Cadet Spenser Rapone placed fourth in Men’s Black Belt Kumite (middle weight), and Cadet Blaze Bissar competed in Men’s Advanced Belt Kumite and Kata. Cadet Liana Blatnik placed second in Women’s Advanced Belt Kata and fourth in Women’s Advanced Belt Kumite, while Cadet William Carson placed second in Men’s Black Belt Kumite (light heavy weight). 

Racquetball:  The Cadet Racquetball Team competed at the National Intercollegiate Championship and nine of the 11 cadets representing West Point recorded tournament points by winning matches. The team finished with an impressive total of 384 points in the tournament. Top performers included Cadets Albert Casas (96.5 points), Tyler Harrison (82.75 points), William Wright (72.75 points), and James Sutter (47.5 points). Among his victories, Cadet Casas earned the overall win for the Men’s Collegiate Singles #3 Blue bracket. Additionally, Cadets Harrison and Wright combined to place third overall in the highly competitive Men’s Collegiate Doubles #1 Gold consolation bracket.

Debate Council and Forum (Model UN):  The West Point Model United Nations team travelled to Melbourne, Australia to compete in the World Model United Nations tournament.  Diplomacy award winners were Cadets Will Dickson ‘13, Ben Ketchum ‘13, Colleen Harrison ‘13, Warren Geary ‘14, Megan McNulty ‘15, and Ross Boston ‘13.

Combat Weapons:  The West Point Combat Weapons Team competed in the 14th Joint Service Academy Combat Weapons Competition hosted by Smith and Wesson Corporation at their indoor range facility.  The final combined team scores were 1820 seconds to Navy, 1824 seconds to Army, 1972 seconds to Coast Guard and 2007 seconds to Texas A&M.  Cadet Jim Fiser had the overall 2nd best score of the competition with 338 seconds. Cadets Austin Marietta, Danny Freeman and Andrew Zecha all finished in the top ten.

From the AD, the wrestling team qualified for the NCAA Championships which took place in Des Moines, Iowa. Connor Hanafee (141 pounds), Daniel Young (149), Paul Hancock (165) and Bryce Barnes (197) represented the program’s largest contingent since the 2008 season.  The rifle team made its 10^th straight appearance at the NCAA Championships, finishing sixth overall as a team. The squad had three National Rifle Association All-American picks, including Richard Calvin, Michael Matthews and Joseph Todaro. The women’s basketball ended its season with a loss at Fordham in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. It was the program’s first WNIT appearance and the first postseason tournament for the Black Knights since  the 2006 NCCAA Tournament.  The men’s basketball team finished the season with a loss at No. 1 seed Bucknell in the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament, but its 16-15 record marked the program’s first winning season since 1984-85.  Ella Ellis was named an NABC All-District 13 Second Team pick to become the first Army player since Kevin Houston in 1986 and 1987 to earn all-district distinction in back-to-back seasons. The gymnastics team will compete at the ECAC/EIGL Championships next week at Springfield College. The team is led by newly-minted Nissen-Emery Award finalist Garrek Hojan-Clark, given to the nation’s most outstanding senior gymnast. Garrek is ranked No. 1 in the nation on the pommel horse.

Spring sports are hitting their stride as well. The lacrosse team scored its first Patriot League win last Saturday with a decisive 15-6 decision over Lafayette. John Glesener led the team with eight points on four goals and four assists, his third straight hat trick. John was named the Army Athletic Association Athlete of the Week for his efforts. The baseball team won two out of three in its first homestand over the weekend. Chris Rowley’s 10 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings highlighted the two days.  Elsewhere on the diamond, the softball team swept two non-conference doubleheaders from St. Peter’s and Rider. Morgan Lashley was named the Patriot League Pitcher of the Week after going 4-0 with a 0.67 earned run average in 21 innings during the week.  The tennis teams opened play with a combined six wins against Patriot League foes. The men’s team topped Holy Cross, Lafayette and Lehigh to start conference play 3-0, while the women’s team defeated the same three teams in their Patriot League debut.

The track & field squads posted five performances that ranked among the top 10 in Army history at the Tribe Invitational by William & Mary. Mary Prakel won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:58.77, the second-fastest time in the Black Knight record book and quickest time since 2004. Ricardo Galindo posted the sixth-fastest 10,000-meter time at 29:54.90, while Kendall Ward was close behind with the ninth-best time on the Army list (30:19.99). In the 800-meter run, Katrina Donarski captured the individual title with a time of 2:14.53, the sixth-best in school history. Rounding out the all-time performances was Jacob Drozd. Competing in the javelin for the first time since last May, he won the event with the seventh-best throw in Academy history (62.42m). Hurdler Kyler Martin was the first Patriot League Track Athlete of the Week for his efforts in the first two meets. He ran the seventh-fastest 110-meter hurdle time in Academy history (14.31) two weeks ago at Coastal Carolina and followed that with a first-place finish and personal best in the 400-meter hurdles this past week (53.28).