April 22, 2026
On March 28, in Rome, Georgia, Hampden-Sydney’s teams attended the southeastern regional competition of the Collegiate Leadership Challenge (CLC) and emerged atop the field, finishing first and second out of eight teams total.
This year’s meet was hosted by Berry College and also attended by Christopher Newport University and the University of North Georgia, in addition to Hampden-Sydney. A neck-and-neck finish saw Team H-SC Grey narrowly outpoint Team H-SC Garnett to take the championship belt. The Tigers finished first and second in last year’s competition as well.
CLC is a nonprofit organization that provides students with opportunities to hone and demonstrate leadership skills through activity and competition. Its events are held at various locations throughout the United States and Canada and welcome collegians from over 100 institutions.
“I was proud of the way our guys carried themselves,” says Vinton Bruton, director of the Wilson Center in the Public Interest, who leads the leadership training and preparation for the challenge. “Our teams represented the College in fine fashion.”
Organized by the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society (MOBTS), the CLC in-person event comprises six independent one-hour activities within the broader challenge, on which teams of six students are given a raw score on the completeness of the challenge, as well as by a group of judges who evaluate their process.
Hampden-Sydney’s teams were led by student coaches Dillon Ball ’26 (Team H-SC Grey) and Bobby Parke ’26 (Team H-SC Garnett), who received considerable training through the Wilson Center.
“I benefited a lot from stepping into the leadership role this year,” says Bobby, who was a member of last year’s winning team. I knew it would be a bigger commitment, but it’s worth it. The skills we practice are very comprehensive and apply to any field, from law enforcement to business to banking or even STEM.”
The teams also competed in the CLC Global Virtual Competition, held via Zoom on April 16 and 18. This stand-alone challenge saw teams face off from across the U.S. and Canada. The Tigers emerged fourth and fifth this year, improving on last year’s seventh-place finish.
“We try to make our leadership development program as experiential as possible. Just knowing about leadership gets you nowhere,” says Bruton. “It’s like riding a bike. Just knowing about it won’t help. You have to do it.”