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“Binary Brains” Make High-Scoring History in NCL Competition
- Sophia Fafard
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 22
Bismarck State College’s “Binary Brains” cyber team became the highest-ranking and highest-scoring BSC team in National Cyber League history. In an online competition in April from 12 p.m. on a Friday to 8 p.m. on a Sunday, the team ranked 26th out of 457 teams in the Experienced Students Bracket. The team’s score, completion, and accuracy placed them in 34th out of 4798 teams.
The NCL competition is a national event that tests students in nine different cybersecurity competencies, including open-source intelligence, cryptography, password reconnaissance, and more. Participating cyber teams work together to get the highest level of completion and accuracy possible. The competition provides real-world scenarios and does not allow assistance beyond teammates.
Taylor Betting is a BSC cybersecurity student and National Cyber League finalist. She explained her position as team captain of the Binary Brains.
“My role as team captain involves finding students with a similar goal in mind, which is to rank as high as possible,” Betting said. “To do that, it requires a tremendous amount of time and effort. Oftentimes, we're competing 7-12 hours a day, Friday to Sunday. Not all students want to compete at that level, so recruitment is a big thing.”
She went on to explain how she works with her team and prepares them for competition.
“I work with my fellow teammates to figure out their strengths and what they feel most confident in,” Betting said. “That way, when the competition starts, teammates who are just competing for the first time or are less familiar with other competencies have a chance to contribute and feel good about the success of the team.”
Students pursuing a degree in cybersecurity are likely to be involved in other career-relevant competitions like the NCL, which allow students to network and practice their skills while having fun. For Binary Brains member Bart Gnirk, this opportunity is a proof-of-work project to highlight accomplishments on his resume.
“Our team showed great dedication by putting in long hours and communicating when people had to take breaks or get some rest,” Gnirk said. “I’m very proud of our team’s performance in this competition and hope that it will inspire a future generation of students.”
Despite the long hours and amount of effort, the Binary Brain’s achievement in the NCL competition is the result of a team driven to do their best. Through hard work and dedication, the Binary Brains have made history at BSC.
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