Approximately 60 Craven Community College students competed in the National Cyber League (NCL) competition this spring, earning national recognition and continuing the college’s tradition of excellence in cybersecurity education.
Craven was once again ranked the No. 1 team in North Carolina, finishing ahead of institutions including Forsyth Tech, Wake Tech, Fayetteville Tech, and Appalachian State University. Notably, four North Carolina community colleges placed in the national top 100 rankings.
Craven students finished 34th in the nation and 14th in the Eastern region among colleges and universities participating in the competition. The National Cyber League is a nationwide cybersecurity competition designed to prepare students for careers in the cyber workforce through real-world challenges and hands-on problem solving.
In the NCL Games, students test their skills in areas such as digital forensics, ethical hacking, password cracking, web application exploitation, cryptography, and network traffic analysis.
Craven’s top individual competitor nearly completed every challenge in the competition and finished 130th out of more than 7,000 participants nationwide. The college’s top team also nearly completed all challenges and placed 44th out of 3,634 teams.
The college also earned recognition as the 4th-ranked two-year college in the country and has now finished in the national top 100 for four consecutive competitions.
“This accomplishment reflects the dedication and talent of our students and the strength of Craven’s cybersecurity program,” said Brad Nicolajsen, Craven CC Cybersecurity instructor. “We are proud to see our students competing and succeeding against colleges and universities from across the nation.”
