DATE: April 19, 2018 6:13:40 PM CDT

Fort Leonard Wood announces 2018 Best Sapper Competition winners

Sgt. 1st Class Robert Clark and Capt. Rudy Chelednik, 21st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, took 1st Place in the 2018 Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition. Pictured from left: Command Sgt. Maj. Trevor Walker, U.S. Army Engineer School command sergeant major; Sgt. 1st Class Robert Clark; Capt. Rudy Chelednik; 50th Chief of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Robert Flowers, retired; and Brig. Gen. Robert Whittle Jr., U.S. Army Engineer School commandant. (U.S. Army Photo by Michael Curtis/Released)

By Marti Yoshida

Public Affairs Office

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (April 19, 2018) — Fort Leonard Wood held an awards ceremony Thursday on Gammon Field to name the winners of the 2018 Lieutenant General Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition.

According to Capt. Donald Lew, Sapper Training Company commander, this year’s 12th annual competition turned out to be fantastic.

“We changed up a few of the events that we had in previous years, and introduced the first night HeloCast operation,” Lew said. “A total of 37 out of 40 teams that started the competition completed the event and came through the castle.”

“On the rankings, it was a very close competition,” he added, saying, “it came down to the initial written pre-test at the start of the competition to determine the 2nd place winner.”

Top finishers were:

1st Place – Team 13

Team 13: Sgt. 1st Class Robert Clark, Capt. Rudy Chelednik, 21st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

2nd Place – Team 23

Team 23: 1st Lt. Thomas Hoyt, Sgt. Gary Coggins, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, Fort Riley, Kansas

3rd Place – Team 12

Team 12: 1st Lt. Louis Tobergte, 1st Lt. Andrew Warner, 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy

Event awards went to the following teams as follows:

Non-standard Physical Fitness event winner – Team 13: Sgt. 1st Class Robert Clark, Capt. Rudy Chelednik, 21st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Squad events winners –

Team 8: Capt. Christopher Wagner, Sgt. 1st Class Jason Grieco, 31st Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri

Team 25: 1st Lt. Ryan Reagin, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colorado; Capt. Michael Ecklund, 1st Engineer Battalion, Fort Riley, Kansas

Team 30: 1st Lt. Clifford Lockwood, Sgt. Lucas Tucker, 27th Engineer Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Trek I winner –

Team 13: Sgt. 1st Class Robert Clark, Capt. Rudy Chelednik, 21st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Demolition Events Winner –

Team 25: 1st Lt. Ryan Reagin, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colorado; Capt. Michael Ecklund, 1st Engineer Battalion, Fort Riley, Kansas

Trek II Winner –

Team 13: Sgt. 1st Class Robert Clark, Capt. Rudy Chelednik, 21st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

X-mile winner –

Team 23: 1st Lt. Thomas Hoyt, Sgt. Gary Coggins, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas

The 2nd Place finishers of the 2018 Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition are 1st Lt. Thomas Hoyt, and Sgt. Gary Coggins, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, Fort Riley, Kansas, representing Team 23. (U.S. Army Photo by Michael Curtis/Released)
The 3rd Place finishers of the 2018 Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition are 1st Lt. Louis Tobergte and 1st Lt. Andrew Warner, 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy, representing Team 12. (U.S. Army Photo by Michael Curtis/Released)
Participants of the 2018 Lieutenant General Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition pose for a photo at the conclusion of the 12th annual Best Sapper Competition April 19, 2018, on Fort Leonard Wood’s Gammon Field. (U.S. Army Photo by Michael Curtis/Released)
Participants of the 2018 Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition await the announcement of this year’s winning team during a ceremony held April 19, 2018, on Fort Leonard Wood’s Gammon Field. (U.S. Army Photo by Michael Curtis/Released)