South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster congratulated students at the Anderson University Center for Cybersecurity in honor of their recent national ranking—fifth in the country at the National Cyber League (NCL) Competitions against 500+ colleges and universities.
The NCL competition, which took place this past October, helps students practice their skills learned in Anderson’s Cybersecurity program. Employers are often attracted to students who perform well in these competitions.
Gov. McMaster’s proclamation states, “It gives me great pleasure to congratulate you for placing fifth nationally in the fall 2025 National Cyber League (NCL) Cyber Power Rankings. With over 9,000 students from 549 colleges and universities across the country participating in this competition season, this is a great honor. The NCL competition is a wonderful opportunity to showcase individual skills, collaborative performance, and the desire to grow and learn as cybersecurity professionals. Peggy and I wish you all the best and congratulate your success.”
One of the top-performing AU cybersecurity students who made this recognition possible is senior cybersecurity student Aaron McCurry, who has been competing in the National Cyber League competitions for Anderson University since his freshman year. Throughout Aaron’s undergraduate journey, gaining hands-on experience and knowledge at AU, he landed two different internships at CrowdStrike throughout the past two summers.
“I feel very blessed to be a part of such a great program, with elite professors and peers to push me to keep getting better. It is a privilege to have that here in a Christian environment at AU,” McCurry said.
Upon graduation, McCurry has a signed job offer to work at CrowdStrike full-time as an Incident Response Associate Consultant.
“Aaron is a great example of how AU cybersecurity students can be plugged in with their peers starting from the first semester and continue to hone their skills throughout the technical, hands-on experiences in the classroom and outside of the classroom in practicing for and competing in the national cybersecurity competitions,” said Cybersecurity Professor Brandon Grech. “Aaron showcases how students can be readily prepared for the cybersecurity workforce upon graduation via personal development and internships.”
McCurry recently placed #9 in the nation and was one of four cybersecurity students trained at Anderson University to place within the Top 15 against thousands of cybersecurity students across the country. More about this competition can be found at this link.
The AU Center for Cybersecurity
The Anderson University Center for Cybersecurity trains students to meet the unique demands of today’s cybersecurity industry. The Center offers students the freedom to choose a degree track that focuses solely on cybersecurity or adds specializations in one of three areas: analytics, criminal justice, or mathematics. Details are available online.