May 25, 2021 – Hudson Falls, N.Y. — The rivalry between the United States Military Academies is a long and storied one. The United States Naval Academy has fought The United States Military Academy on the football field since 1890.
Now that rivalry has a new battlefield — the home of Hudson Falls senior Caleb Koutrakos. Koutrakos, the Class of 2021’s Valedictorian, was accepted into both service academies. That’s no easy feat. According to US News and World Report, West Point has an acceptance rate of just 10%. Annapolis, where Koutrakos will ultimately attend school accepts just 8% of its total applicants.
“I knew I wanted to go into the military when I was young. But then as I entered high school, I hadn’t really thought much of it,” said Koutrakos. “It wasn’t until I saw a news story about Delta Force (the special operation group) a year or so ago that made me remember my dream. I knew I wanted to serve my country. I researched the academies, and in April I got a call from my congresswoman’s office that I had been accepted to West Point. That was a dream come true. But then to get the Naval Academy acceptance a few days later was incredible.”
In addition to an appointment to both academies, Koutrakos also received a Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Koutrakos is a member of the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, and the Science National Honor Society. He’s played on the varsity tennis, swimming, and cross country teams at Hudson Falls. He is also enrolled in the BOCES New Visions Engineering program and plans to continue studying computer science or cyber operations at the Naval Academy.
“I could not have reached my dream without the support and encouragement from so many people along the way,” said Koutrakos. “Even when I wasn’t sure of my track back in 9th and 10th grade, everyone at the school was incredibly supportive of me, no matter what!”
Koutrakos will report to the Naval Academy on June 30 to begin his first year.