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Civil Air Patrol cadets from Burke Composite Squadron in Springfield placed third in the All Service Division at the CyberPatriot 18 National Finals, emerging from a field that began with 1,342 All Service teams.

The squadron’s team, known as the Cyber Monkeys, was among 11 All Service teams competing at the March 21-23 finals in Bethesda. Across all divisions, only 25 of the season’s 4,787 teams advanced to the national event.

The Cyber Monkeys also earned second place in the All Service Division’s Cisco Networking Challenge. This marked their third consecutive appearance at the National Finals.

CyberPatriot competitors faced increasingly complex exercises involving Linux, Windows, Windows Server and Cisco networking. The challenges tested their understanding of computer systems, cybersecurity and network infrastructure.

Before reaching the finals, the Cyber Monkeys competed in two qualifying rounds. They took first place in the State Platinum Tier Round and finished second among all Civil Air Patrol teams in the Semifinals Platinum Tier Round.

The All Service Division includes teams representing high school JROTC programs, Civil Air Patrol and the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps.

Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Zhang, a senior at Lake Braddock Secondary School, serves as team captain. The other members are Cadet First Lieutenant Taiyo Lloyd, a senior at West Springfield High School; Cadet Captain Clara Zhang, a Lake Braddock freshman; Cadet Master Sergeant Holden Donohue, a freshman at C.G. Woodson High School; and Cadet Airman First Class Illia Shestiuk, a junior at C.G. Woodson.

Second Lieutenant Caroline Ren coaches the team, while Technical Sergeant Jonathan Groff serves as its mentor.

Ronald Zhang said the competition builds more than the technical ability to find malware, remove backdoors and repair vulnerabilities. He said persistence, mutual support and continual improvement are even more valuable, with collaboration, passion and perseverance helping good teams become great ones.

Ren said the cadets learned to confront difficult problems through teamwork and determination despite limited resources. With support from their mentors, she said, they have developed into leaders prepared to serve their communities.

CyberPatriot, a program of the Air & Space Force Association, is intended to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, including cybersecurity.