Kansas Wesleyan’s DECA program continued its dominance of statewide competition at late February’s state meet at Hillsboro’s Tabor College. The Coyotes took home first place in 10 of their 12 events, easily outdoing such institutions as the University of Kansas, Wichita State, Fort Hays State and Southwestern College.
Total competitors statewide nearly doubled, going from 49 in 2023 to 89 this year, but the worst result any Coyote recorded was a second-place finish.
“I continue to be impressed by our students’ dedication to DECA; they’re competitive in nature and driven to achieve the highest results,” said Dr. Trish Petak, head coach for KWU’s DECA team. “While their state results are impressive, they’re also amazing leaders in the classroom, athletics, clubs and internships. I recognize their ability in the classroom and believe DECA will prepare them even more for their entrance into the workforce.”
Guthrie Burch, alongside partner Kyla Ohlson, took home three first-place finishes, as well as a second-place finish with partner Tru Haesemeyer.
“Our hard work these past six months truly paid off,” said Burch. “DECA has built my confidence, fine-tuned my problem-solving skills and encouraged me to speak up when I know the answer.”
KWU DECA now prepares for its next meet, when programs from around the globe descend on Austin, Texas, from April 20-24 for the international competition.
A full capsule of DECA results can be found below:
Individual Events:
First Place — Tru Haesemeyer, Restaurant and Food Service Management
Team Events:
First Place — Guthrie Burch and Kyla Ohlson, Business Ethics
First Place — Guthrie Burch and Kyla Ohlson, Event Planning
First Place — Courtney Auld and Caleigh Evans, Entertainment Marketing
First Place — Courtney Beers and Heidi Jones, International Marketing
First Place — Oriana Botz and Abigail Palmer, Marketing Communication
First Place — Courtney Beers and Heidi Jones, Sports Marketing
Second Place — Clay Gagnon and Isaac Stanton, Business to Business Marketing
Second Place — Courtney Auld and Caleigh Evans, Sports Marketing
Prepared Team Events:
First Place — Courtney Beers and Heidi Jones, Business Research
First Place — Clay Gagnon and Isaac Stanton, Digital Marketing Strategies
First Place — Oriana Botz and Abigail Palmer, Financial Statement Analysis
Second Place — Guthrie Burch and Tru Haesemeyer, Advertising Campaign
DECA is an organized business competition that provides students with problems and requires them to present solutions. Some disciplines require a report written beforehand, while others involve an exam taken prior to the competition. All involve presentations with varying amounts of time to prepare, sometimes as little as 30 minutes.
To learn more about collegiate DECA, please visit https://www.deca.org/college-programs/.
