UC Irvine wins Alamo Cup at UTSA’s 20th National Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship

MAY 5, 2025 — The University of California, Irvine triumphed at the 2025 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship (NCCDC), prevailing over nine other finalist teams to earn the coveted Alamo Cup. In this national championship, teams protected a fictional firm’s network against an onslaught of persistent cyber-attacks mounted by top security experts playing the part of hackers attempting to access their systems.

Hosted by The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and celebrating its 20th year, featuring Presenting Sponsor Nightwing, the NCCDC took place virtually from April 25 to 27. More than 200 colleges and universities competed in cybersecurity events across the country during the Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship season. The top 10 teams advanced to the national championship.

“The UCI team feels incredibly honored and validated by this national win. Our success reflects months of intense preparation, with many of us dedicating spring breaks and weekends to training,” said Akshay Rohatgi, captain of the team. “The team has learned an incredible amount, especially considering that, for some members, this competition season was their first time ever doing anything cybersecurity related. Being national champions in one of the most prestigious cybersecurity competitions is an achievement we're immensely proud of.”

UC Irvine earned the coveted Alamo Cup at the 2025 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Championship at UTSA.

One of the nation’s largest collegiate competitions of its kind, this year’s NCCDC tasked competitors with the scenario of managing, operating and defending the network infrastructure of a biotechnology firm while responding to customers and routine business tasks and fending off attacks from hackers.

The UTSA NCCDC Director Dwayne Williams said, “The NCCDC program brings academia, government and industry together in a unique way. Everyone recognizes we need to find and train more cyber professionals, and these competitions are critical in helping meet that need.”

“As cyber-attacks become more frequent and targeted, the potential for significant damage increases,” added Nightwing’s Chief Technology Officer Chris Jones, who gave the closing remarks at this year’s competition. “The virtual ramparts, which will need defending, are complex and varied, ranging from our government institutions, to public and private enterprises, to critical infrastructure. In the coming years, the question of how we protect our most vulnerable assets will be answered by those competing in NCCDC and similar competitions.”

Organized by the UTSA Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS), the NCCDC Championship is designed to test students’ skills in defending against simulated cyber-attacks and encourage interest in cybersecurity careers. In addition to UC Irvine’s top finish, the team from University of Virginia placed second and the team from Dakota State University placed third.

Nightwing provided more than 20 volunteers, participating in various roles, for this year’s national competition—employees, customers and the very hackers trying to break into the competitors’ networks. Nightwing will welcome the UC Irvine team to Washington, D.C. later this year for a winner’s tour.

— Julina Macy