On October 9-11, 2014 four AFIT students from AFIT's Graduate School of Engineering and Management, competed in the MWR-Sponsored Wilderness Challenge 2014 Finale.  Army Major Jeff Painter, Army Major Ben Boekestein, Air Force First Lieutenant Jessica Morris, and Air Force Second Lieutenant Jeff Williams completed the cumulative 51 mile competition in just over ten hours to become Air Force Champions of the final West Virginia Wilderness Challenge.

The team competition was open to active-duty and retired military members with awards given based on military branch affiliation. Each team that competed consisted of four members with at least one female participant. The competition included five outdoor events:  an 8-kilometer mountain run, a 13-mile white-water rafting race, a 12-mile mountain biking race, a 7-mile kayaking race, and a 14-mile mountain hike.  Participants faced wet and muddy terrain as they conquered the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia and the New River Gorge.

Throughout the competition, teams worked together to overcome many challenges including class 5 rapids, broken bike pedals, treacherous hills, muddy swamps, river-crossings, capsizing kayaks, and thorny detours. In the end, the AFIT team emerged triumphant!

The AFIT team members were:  Army MAJ Jeff Painter, Army MAJ Ben Boekestein, AF 1st Lt Jessica Morris, and AF 2d Lt Jeff Williams.  Click for high-res.

AFIT team receiving award recognition from Dr. Todd Stewart, AFIT Director and Chancellor.  Click for high-res.