CM Brings home 10 awards from ASC Region 6 & 7
Back row: Skylar Shrank - Tyler Morales - Shaina Suanico - Andrew Kline (coach). Front row: Marco Reza (co-captain) - Will Myers - Avery Spector (captain) - Parker Doshier - Sophie Stewart.
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly construction management (CM) students brought home 10 awards, including six first-place trophies, in their best showing ever at the 2020 Associated Schools of Construction Region 6 and 7 Student Competition.
The Cal Poly teams earned more than twice as many awards as their nearest competitor with six first-place trophies, two second-place awards, one third-place award, and an award for best presentation at the competition, held in early February in Sparks, Nevada.
They completed against 1,540 students on 207 teams from more than 50 U.S. universities, including Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, Montana State University, Oregon State University, Purdue, the U.S. Air Force Academy, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Virginia Tech, Washington State, and others.
Cal Poly construction management students have been competing in the ASC region 6 and 7 competition since its inception in 1988. Their impressive success at the 2020 competition marks their best year yet.
“This very special achievement by our students is a testament to the success of Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology,” said Jeong Woo, Construction Management department head. “It also reflects the high-quality classroom teaching our students receive. No other CM program in the country was able to match this team record of 10 awards, including six first-place wins.”
The student teams spend months preparing for the competition, working under the guidance of faculty coaches and team sponsors, many of whom are Cal Poly alumni.
“It is a valuable learning activity,” Woo said. “The competition provides opportunities for our students to gain practical knowledge by working with their peers on the problems provided by the competition judges. This helps our students broaden their horizons and decide what they want to do after graduation.”
The six first-place teams include the Commercial, Concrete, Electrical, Heavy-Civil, Preconstruction, and Project Management teams. The Mixed-Use Team and Mechanical Team placed second, the Integrated Project Delivery Team placed third, and the Sustainability Team won the Best Presentation Award.
“Taking home first place in the ASC Commercial competition was the highlight of my Cal Poly construction management career,” said Avery Spector, captain of the Commercial team. She and teammates Parker Doshier, Marco Reza and Will Myers started preparing last May.
“As the team captain, I found it challenging to keep everyone engaged with such a long practice period,” Spector said. “With four returning team members, we worked collaboratively and with more composure this year during the competition, which is very hard when you’ve been seated at a computer for 20 hours and are watching your second sunrise in a row together.
“I am so thankful for the supportive and hardworking community that I’ve found in the Cal Poly construction management program.”
Woo also credited industry partners for maintaining close relationships with the faculty and students and providing financial support to the department.
“Our friends in industry not only provide much-needed funds for a variety of purposes,” Woo said. “They also visit campus, meet with students and help our teams succeed.”
Cal Poly’s winning teams and students are:
First Place
· Commercial Team Members: Parker Doshier, Tyler Morales, Will Myers, Marco Reza, Avery Spector (captain) and Shaina Suanico. Alternates: Skylar Schrank and Sophie Stewart. Faculty coaches Phillip Barlow and Andrew Kline.
· Concrete Solutions Team Members: Grace Brekke, Peter Finocchio, Gavin Griffin (captain), Jack Radovan, Tim Smith and Sterling Treloar. Alternates: Thomas Rogers and Jackson Thomas. Faculty coaches Bryan Knakiewicz and Daniel Knight.
· Electrical Team Members: Emily Bohannon, Giovanni Dal Canto (captain), Ryan Fiorio, Nicholas Gairaud, Andreas Rasmussen and James Ziebell. Alternates: Miriam Robles and Amanda Schrader. Faculty coaches Joseph Cleary, Tom Kommer, Paul Redden and Lonny Simonian.
· Heavy-Civil Team Members: Kyler Cruz, Ryan Nielson, Justin Reno, Tony Roberts (captain), Logan Smith and Sean Stratton. Alternates: Amanda Kaesler and Courtney Martin. Faculty coaches Edward Boucher, Bryan Knackiewicz and Paul Redden.
· Preconstruction Team Members: Gerald Charette (co-captain), Kyra Glaus, Garrett Henley, Billy Markham (co-captain), Cole Murrin and Shay O'Laughlin. Alternates: Molly Bobrovitch and Jane Runte. Faculty coaches Paul Redden, Greg Starzyk and Jeong Woo.
· Project Management Team Members: Kirk Arena, Josh De Mattei, Makenna Gitchell, Collin Martin (captain), Reagan Milligan and Alex Trujillo. Alternates: Sophie Harrington and Molly Pryde. Faculty coaches Dan Knight and Greg Starzyk.
Second Place
· Mixed Use Team Members: Adam Alvarez (captain), Jacob Clark, Sebastian Froman, Ashley Isla, Matt Langbehn and Ryan Proctor. Alternates: Keagan Coyne and Lizette Galvez. Faculty coaches Scott Kelting, Andrew Kline and Stacy Kolegraff.
· Mechanical Team Members: Howard Duong, Ramon Hernandez, Kian Kemp, Jordan King (captain), Jeremy Miller and Jonathan Rosete. Alternates: John Camacho and Carson Ernst. Faculty coaches Joseph Cleary, Paul Redden and Lonny Simonian.
Third Place
· Integrated Project Delivery Team Members: Josh Brouwer, Robbie Courtney, Karl Heuchert, Evan McCollough, Andres Nasr-Church (captain) and Jesus Pena. Alternates: Eric Cedestrom and Michael Knoechel. Faculty coaches Jason Hailer and Tom Kommer.
Best Presentation
· Sustainability Team Members: Brad Burfield, Grayson Farnham, Danielle Moody, Jonathan Ott (captain), Gannon Van Sickle and Madeleine Zetterquist. Alternates: Isabella Crafton and Hailey Lancaster. Faculty coaches Scott Kelting and Stacy Kolegraff.
About Cal Poly’s Construction Management Program:
The Construction Management Department - soon to be celebrating its 50th anniversary - is one of the most respected programs in the country. With more than 500 full-time students, it prepares graduates to lead project teams of other professionals in the completion of complex infrastructure projects. These graduates are actively recruited by more than 200 firms spanning the globe.
