Third place just wasn't going to cut it this year.

So, instead of waiting for the new year to begin prepping for the Civil Air Patrol National Cadet Competition, Cheston New-hall had his group begin training and stop drinking sodas 10 months before the event.

It paid off earlier this month when a group of Utah teens took first place at the national competition in McMinnville, Ore., bringing the title home to the Beehive State for the first time since 1956.

"Pretty much the entire time, I was crying," said Northridge High senior Sean Carlisi of his reaction to hearing rival North Carolina announced as runner-up, which sealed Utah's victory. "I had enough adrenaline pumping through my body that I was shaking."

Taking home top honors was a huge payoff for the 14 teens -- nine boys and five girls -- who spent the past 10 months training for the seven-event competition: one-mile run, uniform inspection, standard drill (responding to orders), innovative drill (performing a choreographed routine), written test, panel quiz and volleyball.

Utah won four of the seven contests and dominated the volleyball tournament.

"I just shook my head," said team chief Cheston Newhall, a recent Park City High School graduate who served as commander of last year's group that finished third overall in Dayton, Ohio.

"I was part of a family that made something amazing happen, and getting an award for it made it even better," Newhall said. "I was in disbelief. I bawled my eyes out, tears of joy."

Being a drill team member -- and no, there's no kick lines or sequin-covered outfits -- requires a massive commitment from teens, most of whom hope to attend military academies or become pilots.

The youths are cadet members of the Civil Air Patrol, an official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.

To prepare for the big event, they met every weekend at the CAP's hangar at Salt Lake City International Airport for training sessions.

They studied for the panel quiz and written test, learned about leadership, aerospace and current events. After training Friday nights, they set up their sleeping bags, and rested for the next day's workload.

They practiced marching, exercised for the one-mile run and transformed themselves into a finely tuned volleyball-spiking machine.

Last year, when Utah took third overall, Newhall decided his team could do better.

Instead of beginning preparation for the July national championship in January, as they had done before, they started five months earlier, in August.

Newhall -- the drill team is led solely by cadets with logistical help from an adult mentor -- believed his squad had to become more dedicated if Utah was going to win the national title.

The group thrived under New-hall's charismatic leadership.

"Everyone knew [we] were serious about it," Newhall said. "You saw people sacrificing for the team. ... Everybody put drill team first."

While most teams are composed almost exclusively of boys, 36 percent of Utah's team is female.

That's "pretty unheard of," said Capt. Eric Weeks, a Civil Air Patrol volunteer and the drill team's adult sponsor.

Other teams thought they could exploit Utah's girls on the volleyball court, hitting the ball at the most petite player, Murray High's Arielle Weeks, Eric Weeks' daughter.

"It's funny," Eric Weeks said. "They would go after her."

The strategy fell short. Utah crushed every challenger by at least seven points.

Focused on the big event, cadets also dropped weekend hangouts with their friends, sports and other activities. They abstained from soda during the 10 months before the competition -- although Pleasant Grove cadet Richard Luby admits he accidentally had a root beer float while on vacation: his sole slip-up.

After completing the mile run at the championship, the group treated themselves to ice-cold Mountain Dews and Cokes.

"It hurts the first time," said Brighton High junior Grant Taylor, who is also a high school tennis star. "You're not used to the carbonation. But it was really refreshing."

Weeks said, "For them it was like having a beer, I guess."

For the mentor and proud father -- who was part of Utah's 1990 drill team, which took third place -- hearing the Utahns announced as winners was "probably one of the greatest moments of [his] life."

"It was pandemonium," said Weeks, although the scene wasn't overly crazy, because the honor can be revoked if a team doesn't display sportsmanship.

"It's happened before," Weeks said.

Utah kept its excitement in check and left Oregon with the 3-foot trophy.

Utah's winning team

National champion cadets:

Sean Carlisi » Northridge High, Layton

Cassie Carlisi » Northridge High, Layton

Cheston Newhall »Park City High School

Cole Christensen »Bingham High, West Jordan

Brayden Mickelson »Mountain Crest High, Nibley

Zach Hopkins »Mountain Crest High, Nibley

J.P. Goldberg »Skyline High, Salt Lake City

Grant Taylor »Brighton High, Salt Lake City

Stefani Lewis »Mountain Crest High, Logan

Jared Healey »Lone Peak High, Alpine

Arielle Weeks »Murray High School

Richard Luby »Pleasant Grove High School

Rachel Niedfeldt »Walden School of Liberal Arts, Highland

McKelle Tobey »Mountain Crest High, Providence