RichmondCC Cyber Security Students Score Big in National Competition

Dec. 20, 2024 – Four students in Richmond Community College’s Cyber Security program competed in the National Cyber League (NCL) competition against nearly 5,000 other teams. They scored 2,090 points out of 3,100, which placed them 234th out of 4,894.

The competition, which was held in November, included 35 challenges with 121 questions over nine different concentrations. The competition started at 1 p.m. on Nov. 8 and concluded at 9 p.m. on Nov. 10. Teams had the weekend to go through the challenges to score points.

Competing for RichmondCC were Thomas Barbee, Peter Gaudiomonte, Matthew Jacobs and Deidra Torres Flores.

“This is RichmondCC’s first time competing in a Cyber competition. I’m very proud of how well these students performed during the competition. Placing 234th out of almost 5,000 teams is remarkable,” said Cyber Security instructor Brian Goodman.

To prepare for the event, the NCL provided a practice platform called the Gymnasium. The Gymnasium mirrors the competition, allowing student competitors to hone their skills through 64 challenges spanning 10 distinct cybersecurity subjects, including log analysis, password cracking, forensics, cryptography, network traffic analysis and web application exploitation.

Before the Gymnasium challenge concluded, Peter Gaudiomonte completed all 64 challenges and was ranked 11th out of more than 9,200 students nationwide.

“That’s a pretty notable achievement,” said Goodman. “Peter’s determination and hard work is well represented with a scorecard in the top 1/10 of one percent. He is an excellent student, and I look forward to seeing his future achievements.”

Goodman said competition allowed the students to engage in real-world scenarios and challenges which also provide hand-on experience that goes beyond what you can learn from traditional study.

RichmondCC offers both a college degree in Cyber Security and a 14-week class that culminates with industry recognized certifications.

“Whether you decide to earn a degree or take the short-term training class, you will gain an expanded perspective and learn practical skills used in the Cybersecurity field,” Goodman said.

To sign up for cyber security training or the degree program at RichmondCC, call (910) 410-1700 or visit the Hamlet or Scotland County Campus to meet with a student advisor. Applications are free and can be completed online.