Best Ranger Competition 2025 Features First Female Competitor

 The 41st annual Best Ranger Competition concluded this weekend, showcasing the pinnacle of military endurance and skill. Among the 52 elite two-man teams, First Lt. Gabrielle White made history as the first female soldier to compete in this grueling event.​

The Ultimate Test of Soldiering

The 2025 Best Ranger Competition, held from April 11 to 13 at Fort Benning, Georgia, was a brutal three-day test of endurance, skill, and grit. Conducted continuously over 60 hours with minimal rest, the competition challenged two-man “buddy teams” of Ranger-qualified soldiers from across the U.S. Army. A total of 52 teams began the event, representing units from conventional divisions, special operations forces, and the National Guard. Only 16 teams made it to the final day, with eliminations based on cumulative performance across all events.

Throughout the competition, over 30 events tested the soldiers’ physical and mental resilience. These included grueling obstacle courses, such as the legendary “Darby Queen,” simulated combat assault courses, and a punishing “run-swim-run” event. Land navigation—some of it at night—was a staple challenge, alongside demanding marksmanship tasks using a wide variety of weapons, including muskets for added historical flair. Participants also completed helicopter insertion missions, intense physical fitness evaluations, and long-distance foot marches, ultimately covering more than 60 miles on foot over the course of the event. Other events included rope climbing, rappelling, water crossings, and practical military tasks designed to simulate real combat situations.

The field was continuously narrowed as teams were eliminated daily based on their overall event performance. The final day featured the top 16 teams, culminating in a decisive “buddy run,” a team-based endurance event that ultimately determined the winners. The entire competition was designed to identify the best Ranger team in the Army—soldiers capable of operating under extreme fatigue, stress, and environmental hardship, using the full range of skills expected of elite combat troops. The Best Ranger Competition remains one of the most prestigious and demanding contests in the U.S. military.

Breaking Barriers: First Lt. Gabrielle White

First Lieutenant Gabrielle White, a 25-year-old infantry officer, and West Point graduate teamed up with Captain Seth Deltenre to represent the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning. Their team finished 14th overall, a commendable achievement in a field dominated by male counterparts.​White earned her Ranger tab in April 2022, joining the ranks of the 154 women who have completed Ranger School since it opened to female soldiers in 2015. Her participation in the Best Ranger Competition marks a significant milestone, reflecting the evolving dynamics of modern military service.​​

Champions From the 75th Ranger Regiment

​First Lt. Kevin Moore and First Lt. Griffin Hokanson from the Army’s elite 75th Ranger Regiment took home first place in the 2025 Best Ranger Competition, held from April 11 to 13 at Fort Moore, Georgia. Competing as Team 44, Moore and Hokanson led the pack from the very start of the grueling three-day event. They consistently outperformed their competitors in some of the toughest challenges the Army has to offer — including obstacle courses, urban assault lanes, long-distance endurance runs, land navigation missions, and precision marksmanship, which this year even included firing old-school muskets.

Throughout the competition, the duo never lost their lead. As weaker teams were eliminated day by day, Moore and Hokanson kept grinding forward, proving their skill and toughness in every event. In the final stage of the competition — a punishing buddy run that often separates the winners from the rest — the two Rangers crossed the finish line side by side. They raised their weapons in triumph, celebrating a hard-fought victory that was never really in doubt.

This win marks the fourth straight year that a team from the 75th Ranger Regiment has won the Best Ranger Competition. That’s not luck — that’s dominance. The regiment’s streak began in 2022 and has continued unbroken through 2023, 2024, and now 2025. Each year, different teams from the regiment have stepped up and brought home the trophy, proving that the 75th consistently produces some of the most skilled, toughest, and most prepared soldiers in the entire Army.

Beyond the Best Ranger Competition, the 75th Ranger Regiment also made its presence felt in other events during Infantry Week at Fort Moore. They stood out in the Lacerda Cup Combatives Competition — a brutal hand-to-hand fighting contest — and in international military challenges featuring teams from allied nations.

Moore and Hokanson will officially receive their championship trophy in a formal ceremony at Fort Moore, but their victory speaks for itself. Their success — and the continued winning streak of the 75th Ranger Regiment — highlights the regiment’s unmatched level of preparation, teamwork, and relentless drive to be the best. Year after year, the Rangers prove that they don’t just talk about excellence — they live it.

Is Anyone Who Earned A Ranger Tab Called A Ranger?

Not everyone who earns a Ranger Tab is universally called a “Ranger”—the term has both formal and informal meanings in the U.S. Army, and its use is sometimes debated.

Ranger Tab:

• The Ranger Tab is awarded to anyone who successfully completes the U.S. Army’s Ranger School, regardless of their unit assignment. Members of any branch of the armed services may attend Ranger School provided they meet the prerequisites and are selected by their service. Select students from allied foreign militaries may also attend. 
• Soldiers who earn the tab are authorized to wear it for the rest of their careers.

Ranger Regiment:

• The 75th Ranger Regiment is a special operations unit; its members are selected through a separate process, RASP (Ranger Assessment and Selection Program), and are commonly referred to as “Rangers” by virtue of serving in the regiment, regardless of whether they have completed Ranger School.
• Within the Army, some believe that only those who serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment are “true Rangers,” while others use the term for anyone with the Ranger Tab. Confused yet? Welcome to the Army. Yes, there are Rangers who have never been to Ranger School.

Army Regulations and Common Usage:

• Officially, Army regulations recognize both those who have served in a Ranger-designated unit and those who have completed Ranger School as “Ranger-qualified.”
• In practice, the term “Ranger” is often reserved for members of the 75th Ranger Regiment, while those who have only completed Ranger School are called “Ranger-qualified” or “tabbed.”

Earning a Ranger Tab means you are “Ranger-qualified,” but within the Army, only those who serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment are universally recognized as “Rangers.” The distinction is important in Army culture and tradition.

Wrapping Up

The 2025 Best Ranger Competition at Fort Moore was a three-day gut check for the Army’s toughest soldiers, featuring 52 two-man teams grinding through 60 miles of misery with barely any sleep. 1st Lt. Gabrielle White made history as the first female to compete, proving she could hang in one of the most unforgiving contests the military has to offer. But it was 1st Lt. Kevin Moore and 1st Lt. Griffin Hokanson from the 75th Ranger Regiment who dominated from start to finish, bringing the trophy back to their unit for the fourth straight year. And just so we’re clear — having a Ranger Tab means you passed Ranger School, but serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment means you are a Ranger, full stop.

-RLTW