The University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu ranked 3rd nationally in the Cyber Power Rankings, a list of the top 100 schools within the National Cyber League (NCL) spring 2026 cybersecurity competition, which drew over 7,500 students from 670 high schools and colleges throughout 49 states in the U.S.
This is UH West O‘ahu’s highest overall placement yet, moving up from 9th in the NCL fall 2025 competition. Additionally, UH West O‘ahu’s top NCL spring 2026 team, UH-HATS — composed of UH West O‘ahu and Honolulu Community College students — placed 4th nationally in the NCL Team Standard Bracket.
The NCL competition, powered by Cyber Skyline, is a biannual event that enables students to prepare and test themselves against practical cybersecurity challenges that they will likely face in the workforce, such as identifying hackers from forensic data, pentesting and auditing vulnerable websites, recovering from ransomware attacks, and additional cyber skill sets, according to a Cyber Skyline press release. The competition allows students to develop practical skills that directly translate to industry and government cybersecurity careers.
“Participation in the National Cyber League provides students with an opportunity to apply their cybersecurity knowledge in a realistic, hands-on environment while competing against some of the best student talent in the nation,” said Anthony Eich, UH West O‘ahu team coach, cyber competitions and cybersecurity instructor/lecturer, and UH West O‘ahu graduate.
Eich continued, “Earning a top-four team finish and helping UH West O‘ahu achieve a third-place national Cyber Power Ranking demonstrates the skill, determination, and teamwork of our students. I am incredibly proud of what they accomplished and excited to see the continued growth of our cybersecurity program.”
He added that this performance reflects the dedication of UH West O‘ahu’s students, many of whom balance coursework, employment, and family responsibilities while competing against students from colleges and universities across the country.
The top UH West O‘ahu NCL spring 2026 teams and members who contributed to the university’s 3rd-place Cyber Power Rankings finish were:
- UH-HATS: Sean Belisle, Jordan Yamaguchi, Kawaiola Zabala-Moore, Gian Carlo Pagdilao, Nicholas Anich, Zun Lam, and Justin Toda-Nagaue
- UHWO Hello Kitty Island Adventurers: Branden Ramos, Joel Kawamae, Nyla Boneza, and Steven Dinwiddie
- University of Hawai‘i: James Bradley, Kiana Merez, Jomer Calip, Evan Murakami, Toan Nguyen, and Nicholas Mile
Additional UH West O‘ahu competitors were: Kaena Baird, John Rafael Bautista, Jacob Bodnar, Bryan Brown, Jomer Calip, Diva Faavi, Mahina Figueroa, Maria Mendez, Donny Nguyen, Algin Sales, Tariq Sims, and Jonalynn Tone.
Team members Sean Belisle and Joel Kawamae reflected on their NCL spring 2026 experience.
“NCL teaches you the skills you can’t always pick up in the classroom,” Belisle said. “You need to use your academic knowledge and combine it with logic and problem solving skills to find answers, and it’s this combination that has been preparing us well for our careers after school.”
Kawamae added, “In a field like cybersecurity, where technology is constantly evolving, the solutions that work today are not always the same solutions we will rely on tomorrow. Competitions like the National Cyber League and other CTFs (Capture The Flag, a common format for cybersecurity competitions) challenge us to adapt to unfamiliar problems and to learn under pressure, and that ability to keep learning is one of the most valuable traits a cybersecurity professional can have.”