Army Special Operations Command came out on top at this year’s Best Warrior competition, when a Ranger and a civil affairs specialist were named the Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

Cpl. Matthew Hagensick, of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and Sgt. 1st Class Sean Acosta, an instructor at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, received their awards Monday at the AUSA annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

“We have the world’s greatest Army because we have the world’s greatest noncommissioned officer corps,” Army Vice Chief of Staff James McConville said before the presentation.

Sgt. 1st Class Sean Acosta, center, poses with his NCO of the Year Award, alongside Army Vice Chief of Staff James McConville, left, and Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey, right, on Oct. 8, 2018, at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting in Washington, D.C. (Stephen Barrett for Army Times)

This year’s competition marks the sixth presentation of the Soldier and NCO of the Year award, when 22 winners from 11 local command competitions head to Fort Lee and Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, to compete for the headquarters title.

Events include a board appearance and written exams, as well as a PT test, warrior tasks and battle drills, a weapons range and a mystery event.

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This year’s runners-up include:

  • Cpl. Jacob Bee of 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and Spc. Caden Emmons of 541st Transportation Company at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for Soldier of the Year.
  • Staff Sgt. Joseph Hansen of the 787th Military Police Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Staff Sgt. Ifegwu Ifegwu of  2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, for NCO of the Year.

For more coverage from the AUSA annual meeting, click here.

Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.

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