GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Seaman Ryan Colletta graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command (RTC) Great Lakes, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) June 25, 2026.
Colletta, 22, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, said the news caught him off guard, even within a division he considered exceptionally strong.
"When I found out I won the Military Excellence Award, I was very surprised," Colletta said. "I always tried to do my best at everything, but I also tried to find a balance between focusing on the task at hand and building bonds with my fellow recruits. There were a number of recruits in my division who were of high enough caliber for this award, so I'm honored to have stood out in such a disciplined and motivated group."
The Military Excellence Award is presented to the recruit who best demonstrates enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing and teamwork throughout training. As part of the recognition, recipients receive a flag letter of commendation.
For Colletta, the Navy was less a decision than a destination he had been circling his entire life. Virginia Beach put him in daily proximity to Sailors he admired, but one in particular shaped his path more than any other.
"I grew up in a Navy town surrounded by some of the greatest role models and mentors I could ask for," he said. "My largest role model was my father, who was in the Navy as I grew up. I've always strived to achieve as much as he has. My brother recently joined the Navy as well, which motivated me to start down this path and hopefully join him in the world's greatest Navy."
Before enlisting, Colletta played defense for Kellam High School's lacrosse team, earning MVP and team captain honors, then continued at the Division III level at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, where he graduated with a degree in environmental science and a minor in chemistry. The discipline instilled by his college coach, Kevin McDonough, carried directly into his approach at RTC.
"My coach instilled discipline and timeliness in our team from the moment I joined," Colletta said. "He believed how we conducted ourselves off the field impacted how we performed on it. We made sure our academic responsibilities were handled before athletics, and if we made a mistake, we ran sprints before returning to the drill so we could correct it before it cost us in a game that mattered. That experience made boot camp much easier to transition into."
Colletta said his division pushed each other relentlessly, turning every physical evolution and academic test into friendly competition.
"During physical events like the RDC assessment and OPFA, every recruit in my division challenged one another and pushed each other to the limit so we could grow as one," he said. "I'd find the person ahead of me and try to catch up to or beat them, which in turn motivated them not to let me catch them. Before each test, we studied together to make sure our division secured the academic achievements. I believe that's why our division was so successful."
His RDCs, HMC Thomas Minton, HM1 Mikayla Ellison, HM1 Stephen Hale and RW2 Xavier Landers, reinforced that competitive drive with relentless attention to detail.
"My RDCs made sure we were detail-oriented in every manner," Colletta said. "Their first priority was making sure we were physically fit, basically trained, smartly disciplined Sailors before anything else. Their guidance helped shape my path through RTC, which led to the MEA, but more importantly, it helped me become better than when I joined."
The hardest adjustment had nothing to do with physical training. After four years of managing his own schedule in college, surrendering control over his time proved to be Colletta's biggest challenge.
"The largest challenge for me personally was adapting to the Navy's timeline," he said. "I knew coming in that I wouldn't have the same freedom, but I wasn't fully prepared for what that meant. The first week or two was a lot of waiting in line and sitting in classes. After that first week, I was able to adjust. My RDCs reminded us that this is the job we signed up for, and that put everything back into perspective."
Following graduation, Colletta will head to San Diego, California, for further training.
Training at RTC is approximately nine weeks long, and all enlistees in the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy's only boot camp.