Special to The Beacon
BRUNSWICK — Brantley County’s Eddy Ross and Connor Laugs were two of College of Coastal Georgia students in the College of Coastal Georgia Cyber Defense program finishing in the top 25 percent among 7,865 competitors nationwide in the Fall 2025 National Cyber League competition.
“This competition pushed them to think critically and adapt quickly,” said Dr. Nelbert “Doc” St. Clair, associate professor of cyber defense, who guided the students through the preparation phase, praised their dedication.
Ross, a senior, scored an impressive 2,845 points (the highest score ever recorded by a CCGA student) out of 3,000 points earning 63rd-place overall. Laugs totaled 2,475 points to finish 201st.
The pair were joined by senior Balber Reyez-Hernandez (2,665; 127th), sophomores Victoria Stanford (2,335; 269th) and Will Garrett (2,040; 516th), and Freshman J.J. Johnson (1,815; 711th).
Johnson made an impressive debut with his point total the highest among CCGA’s 14 freshmen who ranked in the top 25 percent.
“Our students didn’t just compete — they excelled,” St. Clair said. “Their performance shows the strength of CCGA’s cyber defense program and their ability to tackle real-world challenges under pressure.”
The National Cyber League is a biannual competition designed to prepare students for careers in cybersecurity.
Participants face realworld challenges in areas such as cryptography, password cracking, network traffic analysis, and vulnerability exploitation. NCL emphasizes handson learning and practical problem-solving, making it one of the most respected collegiate cybersecurity competitions in the United States.
“The National Cyber League has been instrumental in advancing my growth as a cybersecurity student,” said Victoria Stanford, Class of 2028. “The challenges presented in both the Individual and Team Games have sharpened my analytical thinking, problem-solving and technical skills. Each scenario pushed me to approach complex issues strategically and engage the critical and investigative mindset required for a cybersecurity career.”
For more information, contact Tiffany King at [email protected].
