Students take top awards in construction management

PULLMAN, Wash. – Two Washington State University student teams placed second and one claimed third in the recent Associated Schools of Construction competition, the largest construction management contest in the U.S.

More than 1,300 students from 45 universities and 16 states participated in Reno, Nev. The competition requires that students solve complex problems in less than 24 hours, present proposals and participate in a rigorous question and answer session in a business-like setting. WSU construction management and architecture students participated.

Design-build team. At top, virtual design and construction team.

A WSU team placed second in virtual design and construction, for which students developed and presented software-based solutions to real-world building problems in less than a day. Coached by professor Anne Anderson, the students included: Sam Rykken, Martin Rogstad, Casey Angeline, Riley O’Keeffe, Sam Flor and Austin Bartleson.

Another WSU team took second in design-build, for which students developed and presented a schematic design, estimate, schedule and evaluation for a project’s management. Coached by professor David Gunderson, the students included: Ryan McQuarrie, Jaime Stidhams, Joseph Chung, Nicholaus Smith, Jacob Wilcox, David Chun and alternate Daniel Bennett.

Commercial team.

WSU placed third in the commercial category, for which students used construction management skills such as scheduling, estimating, site logistics, site safety and technical writing to develop a proposal for a real-life construction problem. Coached by professor Jason Peschel, the students included: Brady Swanson, Compton Gentry, Steven Bradshaw, Trevor Leger, Marcus Konopaski, Marie Landsverk and alternates Jacob Villars and Jack Sanogo.

“Having three teams from WSU place is historic,” said Peschel. “We continue to be impressed with the amount of work they put into preparing for this event.

“We are also fortunate at WSU to have tremendous industry support in the form of financial gifts but also in time and talent,” he said. “This support is a critical piece in both helping our students succeed in these competitions and in gaining valuable skills that they will bring to the workplace.”