Utah Valley University’s W0LV3R1NES cybersecurity team won the 2025 Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, defeating global competitors. Their success stemmed from rigorous training, interdisciplinary expertise, and high-pressure preparation with national security professionals.
Orem, Utah — March 20, 2025
In a riveting display of Wolverine grit, Utah Valley University’s (UVU) “W0LV3R1NES” cybersecurity team claimed first place among 45 top university, military, and private sector teams worldwide in the 2025 International Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, hosted by the Atlantic Council on March 15.
During the competition, UVU students showcased their expertise by briefing high-ranking officials from the White House, CIA, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense, as well as top executives from cybersecurity giants like Cisco, CrowdStrike, and Siemens.
“Our team was unique because all four competitors came from different academic backgrounds, creating a specialized yet cohesive unit,” said Brandon Amacher, UVU cybersecurity team coach. “UVU’s success comes from the scrappy determination of our students — while we may not have the biggest name, our team researches every point in depth and puts in long hours of practice. We handpicked elite students, and through rigorous training, we watched them transform into truly exceptional competitors.”
UVU’s all-undergraduate team faced master’s students, doctoral students, and seasoned professionals from top global universities, including Columbia University, Stanford University, Duke University, Texas A&M University, Brigham Young University, the U.S. Air Force Academy, New York University, and other elite institutions.
In preparation for the competition, UVU students spent months in intensive training, honing their research, intelligence analysis, and presentation skills through twice-weekly practice sessions. To further strengthen their resilience under pressure, they also completed specialized FBI stress inoculation training, ensuring they could perform at the highest level in high-stakes scenarios.
The students mastered the evolving cyber threat landscape, global geopolitics, and government power structures, enabling them to assess threats and defend their recommendations with precedent-backed arguments — key to their success in the competition.
The W0LV3R1NES team included four students from the UVU Center for National Security Studies (CNSS): Hope Fager, Durham, North Carolina; Camden Mead, Salem, Utah; Apollonia Perfetti, Scarsdale, New York; and Amanda Tew, Mapleton, Utah. Five NSS students, Aaron Allred, Ian McDonald, Kaye Banner, Leah Olsen, and Maliq Rowe, helped the team research and prepare for the competition.
Coaches and Advisors
Additionally, the W0LV3R1NES were supported by local professionals, academics, and alumni, including Richard Quinn, Mike Smidt, Andre Jones, and Grant Amacher.
The Center for National Security Studies (CNSS) at UVU played a crucial role in supporting the team’s preparation, and the team received generous support from Strider, a Utah-based strategic intelligence company that empowers organizations to safeguard their technology and innovation.
For more information about UVU’s Center for National Security Studies, see: https://www.uvu.edu/nss/
