National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition

Another great NCCDC has wrapped up, along with an extraordinary showcase of skill, resilience and teamwork in the face of real-world cyber challenges! Please join us in congratulating our top three finishers!!

🥇 1st Place: Dakota State University
🥈 2nd Place: University of Virginia
🥉 3rd Place: Western Washington University

Over two intense days of competition, these teams demonstrated what it truly means to defend critical systems under pressure: navigating evolving threats, maintaining operations, and making strategic decisions in real time.

Their performance reflects not only technical excellence but the collaboration and determination that define the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.

👏 A huge thank you to the competitors, coaches, volunteers and sponsors who made this year another incredible success!

The competition has begun! We’re proud to kick off Day 1 of the 21st Annual National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC) and recognize this year’s Top 10 finalist teams:

Dakota State University University of Virginia DePaul University UMass Lowell Western Washington University University of Colorado Boulder UTSA - The University of Texas at San Antonio Hack＠UCF Stanford University University of California, Irvine

Over the next two days, these teams will defend enterprise networks against live, simulated cyber threats—testing their technical expertise, teamwork, and decision-making in real time. These students represent the future of cybersecurity, and we’re excited to see them rise to the challenge.

📸 Swipe to meet the teams competing for the national title.

Thank you Nightwing for a great week in DC with the 2025 NCCDC Champions University of California, Irvine

National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition Champions Tour DC Nightwing Hosts Alamo Cup Victors from UC Irvine At the end of a busy three days for UC Irvine’s Cyber@UCI cybersecurity club, the students gathered for one last dinner with the team from Nightwing, their hosts for a whirlwind tour of the nation’s capital. As the winners of this year’s Nationa...

Once again, we want to extend our congratulations to University of California, Irvine for triumphing at the 2025 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship! We had the pleasure of hosting more than 200 colleges and universities and got to see some amazing work from students across the country. 🤩

“The UCI team feels incredibly honored and validated by this national win. Our success reflects months of intense preparation, with many of us dedicating spring breaks and weekends to training,” said Akshay Rohatgi, captain of the team.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Z393o9

UTSA - The University of Texas at San Antonio | CIAS | Nightwing

UC Irvine wins Alamo Cup at UTSA’s 20th National Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship MAY 5, 2025 — The University of California, Irvine triumphed at the 2025 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship (NCCDC), prevailing over nine other finalist teams to earn the coveted Alamo Cup. In this national championship, teams protected a fictional firm’s network against an onslaught...

3rd place winner of the 2025 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition: Dakota State University

2nd place winner of the 2025 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition: University of Virginia

1st place champion of the 2025 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition - University of California, Irvine

CONGRATULATIONS to the University of California, Irvine for taking 1st place at the 20th Annual National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition! 🥇

University of California, Irvine’s incredible team is bringing home the Alamo Cup, proving that they are a cybersecurity powerhouse.

Well done to all the competitors, and especially to this year’s champions—your hard work, teamwork and skill truly stood out. 👏👏

Congratulations to the University of Virginia for earning 2nd place at the 20th National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC)!

Your team’s skill, strategy and determination stood out on the national stage—what an incredible accomplishment! 👏 We’re proud to see the next generation of cyber defenders in action.

University of Virginia

Kudos to Dakota State University for securing 3rd place at the 20th Annual National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition! 🥉 We’re proud to see future cyber defenders like you leading the way! 💪🛡️