Fort Riley release
FORT RILEY, Kansas – A squad of 1st Infantry Division Soldiers proved they were the best during the III Armored Corps Best Squad Competition hosted at Fort Riley June 7-11, 2025.
Eleven teams from across the III Armored Corps competed in the 2025 Best Squad Competition, each representing the best their division or separate brigade has to offer. The winning team from 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, “Long Knife,” had a short train up prior to the competition, but the strength of their bond proved invaluable during the grueling events.
“I’m honored to have led this team, they’re a great group of Soldiers and they really left it all on the field,” said Staff Sgt. Jerico Kelley, squad leader of the winning team. He added that while they’re looking forward to a break, they’ll be back to training for the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) Best Squad competition soon.
Kelley, along with his squad including Sgt. Jesse Sandoval, Sgt. Ruben Robles, Spc. Jonathan Atkinson, and Pvt. 1st Class David Kosciusko, stayed amongst the top three teams throughout the competition, excelling in some tasks and struggling in others.
“Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses, we were really able to capitalize on our strengths to make up for where we struggled,” Kelley explained.
The four-day contest consisted of a variety of physical and cognitive tests, all completed as a team, and emphasizing the importance of the squad level unit. Teams battled for position across 14 events in four days, including land navigation, weapons qualification, water survival test, obstacle course, 12-mile road march, and written test.
Command Sgt. Maj. Erik Andresen from 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd ABCT, 1st Infantry Division planned, coordinated and executed the competition on behalf of III Armored Corps. It’s a formidable undertaking, with a wide variety of tasks from the reception and in-processing of teams to the execution of complex react to contact events and medical lanes.
“It was an honor to plan and conduct this competition, both for the 1st Infantry Division and III Armored Corps,” said Andresen. “These competitors showcased the very best the Army has to offer in both warfighting and professionalism.”
The Long Knife team will continue to train in advance of the FORSCOM competition, held at Fort Bliss, Texas in August this year.