In a groundbreaking moment for gender integration and combat readiness, Army First Lt. Gabrielle White has become the first woman to complete the Army’s elite Best Ranger Competition. The achievement not only breaks barriers but also highlights the evolving role of women in the most demanding corners of the military.
White, 25, competed alongside Capt. Seth Deltenre, her teammate from the 101st Airborne Division. The duo finished 14th out of 52 teams during the grueling 62-hour event held in April at Fort Moore in Georgia, formerly known as Fort Benning. The physically punishing competition includes long-distance foot marches, land navigation, obstacle courses, marksmanship and other tactical and technical tasks designed to test the limits of physical and mental endurance.
White’s completion of the Best Ranger Competition is historic in its own right, but it also serves as a symbol of how far women have advanced in combat arms since the Army opened Ranger School to women in 2015. “I didn’t go into this to be the first,” White told People magazine. “I went in to compete and to prove to myself that I could.”
Born and raised in North Royalton, Ohio, White is no stranger to discipline and high achievement. A former high school basketball standout who scored more than 1,000 points during her career, she continued her athletic career at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. While at West Point, White played on the women’s basketball team and served as regimental command sergeant major for the Class of 2021.
After graduating from West Point with a degree in systems engineering, she commissioned as an infantry officer—another challenging path not historically accessible to women until recently. In 2022, she earned the coveted Ranger Tab, making her one of only 135 women to do so. She is also one of just eight women to have completed both Ranger and Sapper schools, earning her the distinction of being double-tabbed.
Now stationed at Fort Moore, White serves in the 101st Airborne Division and continues to support training and operations in the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence. Her team’s strong finish in the competition reflects not only her resilience but also her tactical and leadership proficiency. The Best Ranger Competition has traditionally been dominated by male Soldiers from elite units such as the 75th Ranger Regiment. This year’s first-place team consisted of two such members: 1st Lt. Kevin Moore and 1st Lt. Griffin Hokanson.
“This wasn’t about setting a record or being in the spotlight,” said her father, Robert White, a U.S. Army veteran and assistant chaplain for The American Legion’s Department of Ohio. “Gabby’s always been about pushing herself and living by the values of service and hard work.”
Those values have also earned White multiple military honors, including two Army Commendation Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Air Assault Badge.
Her accomplishment is widely seen as a turning point—not only because of what she has achieved, but because of what it may inspire in others. “This is just the beginning,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa King, the first woman to serve as commandant of the Army’s Drill Sergeant School. “Every success like this opens the door for more women to see what’s possible.”
While White remains humble about her place in history, her presence in the Best Ranger Competition signals a broader cultural shift within the U.S. military. Women are not only participating in elite combat training—they’re excelling.
“I hope that one day it’s not newsworthy that a woman finishes Best Ranger,” White said. “That it’s just another example of a Soldier doing her job well.”
Until that day comes, her achievement stands as a powerful testament to grit, excellence and equality in uniform.
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