After several hours defending simulated networks from coordinated cyberattacks, a team of Cedarville University students won first place in one of two Midwest Divisions of the NCAE Cyber Games on February 7, 2026. One member of the winning team, Kieran Klukas, is still a high school senior.
Klukas, from Westerville, Ohio, is taking dual enrollment courses at Cedarville. He became interested in cybersecurity after attending the university’s summer camp and began pursuing the field academically. Seeking more hands-on experience, Klukas joined Cedarville’s NCAE Cyber Games team.
The competition used a red team-blue team format where industry professionals and graduate students tried to breach each team’s systems. Teams had to defend their network infrastructure and keep systems running while responding to live attacks that mirrored real-world threats.
During the seven-hour event, teams faced constant attacks as industry professionals exploited vulnerabilities. Klukas moved quickly between systems to patch weaknesses and close access points. In the final hours, Cedarville was one of the few teams still operational and became a main target for attackers. Klukas continued moving between services to eliminate threats and maintain system uptime.
Cedarville’s winning team included computer engineering, computer science, and cyber operations majors: David Pascual (team captain), Abby Wurster, Daniel Braisted, Joseph Bockmann, Kaleb Korner, Micah Crowe, Nathan Karn, Noah Marrano from Fox River Grove, Illinois; and Stephen Fair.
Reflecting on his experience with the team, Klukas said: “Initially, I wasn’t sure I belonged on the team,” said Klukas. “I was competing with incredible cybersecurity students who are skilled at what they do. Over time, I’ve had people tell me, ‘No, you actually do have skills – you belong here,’ and that’s helped quiet that little voice that says I don’t.”
Klukas also performed well in other competitions. He ranked 120th out of more than 7,000 competitors in last fall’s National Cyber League competition.
As he finishes high school and prepares to enroll full-time at Cedarville University next year, Klukas enters college with practical experience defending networks under pressure.
Cedarville University is an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio offering undergraduate and graduate programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students enrolled this year it is among Ohio’s largest private universities.
Written by Cara Ramer
Information from this story was sourced from MeritPages.com
