Nevada Cavalry squadron sweeps 2026 Best Warrior Competition

HAWTHORNE, Nev. – After three days of grueling physical challenges, marksmanship events and endurance tests, two Soldiers from the Nevada Army National Guard’s 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry Regiment emerged victorious during this year’s Nevada National Guard Best Warrior Competition held last weekend at Washoe County Armory in Stead and at the Freedom Ranges in Hawthorne.

Sgt. Jarret Nilson, D Company, 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry, earned Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year; Spc. Matthew Powell, C Troop, 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry, won Soldier of the Year.

Other participants — each qualifying among the top in their respective units to participate — included:

Sgt. Anjelo Vigila, 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry (NCO)
Sgt. Jareyn Yamaguchi, B Company, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion – Enhanced (NCO)
Spc. Issiah Alexander, 1st Squadron, 221st Cavalry (SOY)
Spc. Camden Altringer, 137th Military Police Company (SOY)
Spc. Arushan Yogalingam, Nevada Recruiting and Retention (SOY)

Nilson and Powell will represent the Nevada National Guard at the Region VII Best Warrior Competition from April 26 to May 1 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Region VII includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Utah and Nevada.

In preparation for Sante Fe next month, both Nilson and Powell gained integral experience and training this past weekend during the three-day competition here in the Silver State.

DAY 1

Soon after arriving at the Washoe County Armory — many traveling from Las Vegas — competitors immediately began the first event, the Army Fitness Test (AFT). After completing the test, Soldiers moved directly into a pull-up event. Powell led the field in that event, completing 18 pull-ups, the highest score among the seven competitors.

Afterward, competitors transitioned into weapons familiarization training on several systems, including the M2 .50 caliber machine gun, the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW), and the M17 pistol. During the competition’s weapons knowledge evaluation, both Nilson and Powell recorded top scores in their respective categories.

For Powell, the competition offered an opportunity to challenge himself while bringing lessons learned back to his unit.

“I decided to do it for the experience, so I could go through these hardships and see what I can do myself,” Powell said. “And then if I know I can do it, I can bring that to my unit, bring it to other guys, show them how to do things, especially with the conversion (from the unit's armored cavalry mission) to (mobile) infantry. All this stuff applies to that.”

DAY 2

On the second day of the competition, Soldiers traveled to Hawthorne, about two hours southeast of Reno, for live-fire events.

Competitors first completed the M17 pistol marksmanship qualification, where Nilson recorded the top score among the noncommissioned officers. Soldiers then moved on to the M4 carbine marksmanship qualification, where Nilson again finished first in the NCO category.

After spending the day on the range, competitors cleaned weapons while waiting for nightfall to begin the final event of the day, the M249 SAW night-fire qualification. The event proved highly competitive, ending in a four-way tie in the Soldier category and a three-way tie in the noncommissioned officer category.

DAY 3

Early the following morning, competitors began what would be their final challenge: a ruck march of unknown distance. Soldiers stepped off without knowing how far they would go, only to learn at the end of the event that they had completed a 10-mile ruck.

As competitors prepared for the final challenge, Nilson said many of the Soldiers felt the elevation and terrain would add another level of difficulty to the event.

“I think the general consensus is elevation gain during the event will play a role,” Nilson said. “I think the ruck march is going to be challenging, but we’re going to have to tough it out.”

Nilson ultimately finished the 10-mile ruck march in first place among the noncommissioned officers with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 12 seconds, helping secure his overall victory as Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year.

Reflecting on the outcome, Nilson said earning the title was a meaningful validation of the work he put into preparing for the competition.

“Earning the title of best warrior would really mean a lot to me,” Nilson said in the days during the competition. “It would really prove that the effort I put in really turned out to be worth it. But I think that it’s all about the experience of being here with our Soldiers in arms and doing the job.”

Powell finished the ruck march in 2 hours, 7 minutes, third place, but good enough to secure his victory for Soldier of the Year. Spc. Camden Altringer, 137th Military Police Company, who won Soldier of the Year last year, finished the ruck march in first place with a time of 1 hour, 49 minutes.

For Powell, winning the Soldier of the Year represented more than just the title.

“It’s about knowing that you have the experience, and having that confidence that I could do it,” Powell said. “It could be a symbol for the guys back in my unit. Like they could do this if they put their minds to it.”