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Millersville University sophomore Peter Wenzel of the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade was named Soldier of the Year at the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 2026 State Best Warrior Competition in April.
The competition consisted of nine events to test the competitors’ physical and mental fitness, including an Army Fitness Test, weapons qualifications, a written exam, an obstacle course, a 12- mile ruck march and a military appearance board.
Wenzel said it was an honor to compete in the Best Warrior Competition, but the camaraderie built throughout the experience is what truly made it worthwhile.
“Overcoming the hard things in life sometimes starts with just one small push forward,” he says.
Wenzel advanced to the Regional Best Warrior Competition for Region II, held May 4 to 7 at Camp Dawson in Kingwood, West Virginia. Although he did not advance to the national competition, his grandfather Jay Miller, a finance and administration generalist at Millersville University, says, “First place honors went to another fine soldier – a bit older and more experienced, but Peter learned a great deal about himself and what it is to push to the limits.”
Wenzel is a manufacturing engineering technology major from Lancaster. He joined the Army National Guard more than two years ago. “I joined to serve my country, following in the footsteps of my brothers, and also to help pay for my college education at Millersville,” he says. “I chose to attend Millersville because of my family’s history of going there. After considering other colleges, I found that Millersville was the best financial option and it allowed me to stay close to my family.”
That includes his parents, who are also Millersville graduates. Both his father, Kenneth Wenzel, and mother, Stacy (Miller) Wenzel, graduated in 1988 with a bachelor’s in nursing. His mother also earned a master’s in nursing in 2011.
Learn more about the Region II competition by watching this video: DVIDS – Video – Region II Best Warrior Competition Final Video.
