Victory on The Hill

See the 2026 Patriot Games for yourself.

Fifteen miles of paddling, ten miles under a ruck, a stress shoot, hatchet throw, and a CH-47 Chinook landing on campus highlighted the first-ever Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS) Patriot Games. Over three days in late September, five of the nation’s senior military colleges gathered in Northfield to test themselves. When the final standings were announced on the steps of Jackman Hall, Norwich took home first place.

The Norwich team, made up of Cadets Maximus [Max] Compton ’27, Mason Dils ’28, Case MacDonald ’28, James Raymond ’28, Noah St. Germaine ’28, and Ally Teitsch ’29 earned the Patriot Games title and were recognized at an awards ceremony on the steps of Jackman Hall. Virginia Military Institute placed second, followed by The Citadel, the University of North Georgia, and Texas A&M University.

The Games drew teams from five military colleges to Norwich’s campus in Northfield for three days of physical and tactical competition. Each team had six members, including at least one woman, and all from their school’s Corps of Cadets. Scoring covered six events: a fitness test, a 15-mile canoe, a 10-mile ruck, a stress shoot, a hatchet throw, and an evacuation scenario on Paine Mountain.

By Cadets, For Cadets

The Patriot Games were designed and run largely by students, finding inspiration in a movie more than two decades old.

“Last spring, right around when I was stepping into the role of becoming the regimental commander for the following academic year, my buddy Max Compton and I were at the gym late one night just talking,” says C/COL Corey Martin ’27. “He had just been named the Ranger Challenge commander for the following year, so the thought of competition was on our minds.”

The thought of competition drew Compton’s mind to the classic movie series, "Harry Potter."

“Max had asked, ‘have you ever seen Harry Potter?’ I had no clue where he was going with this. ‘The Triwizard tournament… but we host it at Norwich and it’s us competing against other SMCs,’” recalls Martin. “This sounded insane, but awesome. Long story short, we spent the last few months of school talking about the concept, briefing professional staff, and developing this into something real.”

“This truly was an all-hands-on-deck operation and the entire Corps got increasingly excited about it as we got closer, eventually boasting dozens of volunteers who wanted to be there and give this event their time,” he says. “There were plenty of roadblocks and a ton of moving parts, but for the most part they were either identified early on or adapted to on the fly.”

He credits individuals in the Corps and on his regimental staff for pulling the strings behind the scenes. “Between daily operations and the constant handoff of custody when it came to who was running this competition, it eventually fell into the hands of C/CSM Patrick Hobin ’27 and C/LTC Brooke-Lynne Allard ’27, my CSM and S3 OIC. They absolutely took the opportunity and ran with it.”

The inspiration found in the Triwizard Tournament — a competition between the three most notable schools in the Harry Potter universe — easily drew parallels to the SMCs. Soon enough, with the help of enthusiastic cadets, the idea was real and the Patriot Games had begun to take shape as schools gathered on the Northfield campus ready to compete.

Teams arrived on Friday for a ceremonial march down, followed by a briefing, weapons familiarization, and aircraft static load training. A Connecticut National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter landed on campus as part of the program, giving competitors hands-on experience with air movement more often seen in operational settings than on a college campus.

Chasing the Title

"When the opportunity came to compete for Norwich at the Patriot Games, I knew I wanted to be a part of the team," says Tietsch. "I tried out without knowing what the events would involve, but I was excited to take on the challenge. Being selected was an exciting moment, and I was proud to have the opportunity to compete for Norwich."

Scott Caulfield, Norwich’s director of strength and conditioning, said he did not design a program specifically for the Games, though a few of the team’s student-athletes did reach out to him a few weeks before the competition to talk through preparation. Five of the six team members are student-athletes, and Caulfield says that background paid off.

“During the fall season our lacrosse athletes focus on building strength and power, and I think that proved to be an advantage for our team,” he says, considering several of the Patriot Games team members are on the men’s lacrosse team. “The event’s demanding mix of rucking, hiking, shooting, and navigation speaks to the broad range of military skills required to excel — and reflects the year-round dedication our cadets bring to their military development.”

"We all knew that to win this competition, we needed to be as physically prepared as possible," says Tietsch. "In the weeks leading up to the Patriot Games, I spent a lot of time in the weight room and put in plenty of miles through ROTC workouts and training with the cross-country team. I focused on building both strength and endurance." 

Caulfield also served as the grader for Norwich’s team during the fitness event, which included deadlifts. Cadets from his 400-level Applications in Strength & Conditioning class also graded the event, a decision made to ensure fair and reliable judging.

“It makes me proud to witness the level of commitment and dedication our athletes bring to their training, whether for their sport or a demanding event like the Patriot Games,” says Caulfield. “This demonstrates that our student-athletes are not only in exceptional physical condition, but that their sport-specific training also translates seamlessly to the rigorous demands of tactical events like this one.”

Winning in Northfield

Several events were built around teamwork, so success depended as much on how well the six worked together as on any one competitor’s strength. Norwich was the team to beat across the weekend, and Caulfield says he never doubted the outcome.

“While I’ll admit I’m biased, I always believed our team would come out on top,” he says. “I couldn’t be prouder of our team for their dedication, their ability to train and prepare in such a short time, and the competitiveness that drove them to win.”

Competing against fellow military colleges on their own campus added to the weight of the title.

“Overall, I was so impressed with the Corps and our team,” says Martin. “In my almost four years here, I have never seen something so cohesive and smooth or so large-scale. We obviously had to deal with friction points throughout the weekend, but there was never a time when I truly felt nervous.”

“Watching Norwich perform was so awesome. All of those who participated are close friends of mine and most of them are on Ranger Challenge with me,” says Martin. “They’re absolute animals. Not only are they all outstanding men and women, but they are fantastic athletes and contributors to our Corps. I couldn’t have asked for a harder working group of people to show the nation what Norwich is all about, I am super proud of them and our organization.”

"One of the biggest challenges was finding the determination to keep going during the hike. We had no food or water, and we didn’t know where the finish was. Everyone was hungry, tired, and hurting, but knowing that we were all struggling together and that the other teams were too helped us stay determined," says Tietsch. "We pushed each other to keep moving, no matter how difficult it got, and reminded ourselves that the pain was temporary. We knew we had to rely on each other to get through it."

Commandant of Cadets and Vice President for Student Affairs BG Mark Denton ’97, VSM, watched the team of cadets perform in front of the entire Corps and shared similar pride.

“Seeing our cadets perform at such a high level on our own campus was a tremendous source of pride,” he says. “What stood out most was the confidence, preparation, teamwork, and competitive spirit they demonstrated. They represented Norwich and the Corps exceptionally well.”

"My biggest takeaway from this competition is the importance of trusting your team. We knew that each of us was physically fit and capable of taking on the challenges ahead, but individual ability alone wasn’t enough," says Teitsch. "We had to work together and rely on one another to get through the competition. When it became hard to keep going, knowing my teammates were beside me, pushing through the same challenges, made a huge difference."

“A performance like this is especially meaningful given the caliber of the competition among the senior military colleges,” says BG Denton. “It demonstrates that our cadets can compete at a very high level while reinforcing the leadership, resilience, and teamwork that are central to the Norwich experience.”

Born of the Norwich Spirit

The Patriot Games were created to bring military colleges together in a physical, military-based competition built on shared values, and to test resilience in a complex and demanding environment. Organizers say they hope it becomes a lasting tradition.

“The future for the Patriot Games to me looks like an annual competition held at Norwich every year. It will simply just get bigger,” says Martin. “Our initial intent was that where the AMCSUS conference goes, the competition follows. This would entail that if The Citadel held the 2027 AMCSUS conference, they would be expected to put on a competition on their home turf. We understand this is a big ask, but we hope that there will be a fire under these institutions to show us up and put on a bigger and better show.”

Even if that does not come to fruition through the original vision, the competition will remain at Norwich regardless. “After talking to the Commandant, he even said that if nobody wants to come back and endure the games again, we will turn it into an internal “Best Squad” competition where each unit on The Hill sends a team of their own,” he says. “No matter what, this will happen again, and it will be bigger and better.”

“Anyone that knows me knows I am never satisfied with anything. It’s an inherently bad trait of mine, but I always think I or we could do better,” says Martin. “Contrary to this, those who sat in the press box with me while we watched the opening ceremony know that I have not been so excited and proud to see something come to fruition in a while.”

The effort and fruits of their labor brought a constant smile to his face. He found pride in the fact that cadets and civilians alike came to the event to support their team without being ordered to do so.

“Watching the Norwich team walk out gave me goosebumps and watching them run by each time as I hung over the railing on Sabine Field fired me up even more,” says Martin. “The energy was unreal, and the excitement carried into the following days in the form of distributing updates on the teams’ performance when I could, and our wonderful PAO team posting live standing updates.”

“I was most proud of the entire Norwich community that united behind our team and cheered them along. The teams, while competing against each other, created a shared bond of sacrificing together,” says BG Denton. “I was extremely proud of the respect that we showed our competitors who could one day be their battle buddy in the Armed Forces — just a great event. The Norwich University community dominated the day!"

For Norwich, founded in 1819 as the nation’s first private military college, hosting the inaugural Games was a natural fit. The weekend showed what the Corps of Cadets is built to produce: cadets who are prepared to lead from the front and produce when it matters.