My DS was in this same situation last year. Only 4 nominated from his district for USMA - he found this out from RC. But, several times in the fall, the RC told my DS - "you're number 2" in the district. DS had a Senator nom and what we thought was a very strong file. But, we were still sweating it. In a later conversation with the RC about how DS stacked up on the Senator slate, the RC, out of nowhere, tells DS that our MOC had two slots that year so DS didn't need to worry about competing on the Senator slate. That was the first we'd heard about a second slot for our MOC. I was able to speak with the MOC's staffer at a reception shortly thereafter and she was very cryptic about how the nominations were submitted (competitive or principal and competing alternates). I couldn't get a straight answer out of her about whether they had submitted 2 slates or even that they had 2 slots that year. I really don't know if she knew about the second slot. I got the impression that "West Point knows all that." We were all sweating it, though, until, out of nowhere in January, he received a call from the MOC advising of his appointment. Those January appointments last year were for LOA's, Principal nominees, and "clear vacancy winners." Apparently, DS fell into that third category for the second MOC slot.