Soldiers compete in the OKARNG Best Warrior Competition

Oklahoma National Guard:

"OKLAHOMA CITY — Soldiers from across the Oklahoma Army National Guard competed in the OKARNG Best Warrior Competition at Camp Gruber Training Center, Okla., Nov. 4-7, 2026.

Spc. Samuel Pritz, a Mustang, Okla. resident, and a combat medic with Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery Regiment, 45th Field Artillery Brigade, won the title of Soldier of the Year, while Staff Sgt. Brendan Collins, a resident of Rogers, Ark., and an infantryman with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, was awarded the title of Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

“The competition is a competition of Soldiers and NCO testing, not only to test their skills, but developing their skills, finding their weaknesses and building on their strengths,” said Command Sgt. Maj. John Hernandez, the state command sergeant major for the Oklahoma National Guard.

The competition tested the Soldiers across four days, pushing them beyond basic physical fitness and into complex tactical decision-making. For the winners, the path to victory required balancing mental resilience with technical proficiency.

“I learned to have grit, mental toughness and to power through,” Collins said. “I was hurting a lot before the ruck, but I just powered through and trusted that my body would hold up.”

Pritz emphasized that preparation was key, but for him it all came down to mental toughness.

“You can have all the physical preparation you want and you may not make it if you don’t have mental preparedness,” Pritz said.

Guardsmen were tested on a range of military tasks, including the Army Fitness Test, day and night land navigation, an obstacle course, Army Warrior Tasks, weapons ranges, a 12-mile ruck march, a board interview with sergeants major and a culminating squad attack exercise.

This year, competitors were also required to navigate between events on foot rather than rely on transportation. Additionally, unlike previous years, Soldiers did not receive feedback on their individual event scores until the end of the competition.

“It really takes a lot of heart and driving determination,” said Sgt. Maj. Bradley Barrick, operations sergeant major, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. “Especially these National Guard Soldiers, where we don’t get to do this every day. We get one weekend a month to do it.”

Despite being graded individually, competitors were encouraged to collaborate as a team and support one another. They lived, ate and trained together throughout the competition, building camaraderie across brigades and sharing knowledge between units.

“I want them to be able to showcase their warrior spirit,” said Sgt. Maj. Billy Holley, OKARNG operations sergeant major. “To understand that it’s not just about winning, it’s about showing what right looks like.”

Pritz and Collins will now represent the Oklahoma Army National Guard at the Army National Guard Region V Best Warrior Competition next year, with a chance to advance to the Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Camp Dodge, Iowa."