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Cybersecurity Team Wins Award at Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition

Cybersecurity Team Wins Award at Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition

(Conway, SC) 05/16/2023
cyber team receiving a trophy

(left to right) Edward Koke, Andrew Gainer, Patricia Mueller, Sean Martin, Anthony Critelli, Xander Sampson and Rear Admiral Stephen D. Donald who presented the Tech School Cup Challenge 2023.

Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) is proud to announce the Cybersecurity Team secured top honors at the 2023 Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition (PCDC) and Hack Warz Competition in Charleston, SC April 15 – 17, 2023. Professor Matthew Servedio and Professor Brian Tessenear accompanied six (6) computer technology students, including Anthony Critelli, Andrew Gainer, Edward Koke, Sean Martin, Patricia Mueller, and Xander Sampson.

HGTC received the Tech School Cup Challenge 2023 against Trident Technical College and 5th place overall in the Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition on Sunday, April 16, 2023. They also had two teams compete in the Hack Warz Competition on Saturday, April 15, 2023, scoring 5th and tied for 6th place overall against 11 other teams. The nine (9) other colleges competing in these events include Charleston Southern University, The Citadel, Clemson University, College of Charleston, ECPI University, Trident Technical College, University of North Carolina- Wilmington, University of South Carolina, and the US Naval Academy.

“Our students performed well and represented HGTC as the top technical college in the competition. Our accomplishments are remarkable considering we competed against some of the best four-year programs in the nation,” said Matthew Servedio, HGTC Professor for Computer Technology.

Hack Warz competition results:

Team GatorBytes: 5th Place

  • Ed Koke
  • Sean Martin
  • Patricia Mueller

Team ByteForce: Tied for 6th Place

  • Anthony Critelli
  • Andrew Gainer
  • Xander Sampson

The Hack Warz competition was open to all colleges and universities in the Southeast Region (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee) on a first come, first serve basis. The Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, the Navy’s East Coast Engineering Center, in collaboration with the South Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association facilitates a cyber defense competition each spring. PCDC is an event for the promotion of Cybersecurity education and awareness. Competition energizes colleges to develop invigorating and focused curriculum for the technical skills needed in today’s fast-paced and challenging cyber environment.