Kansas Wesleyan’s DECA team continues to excel at the international level, led by a trio of top-three finishes and eight top-10 results at the International DECA Competition held April 18-21 in Louisville, Ky. More than 1200 students competed from more than 100 colleges and universities.
Courtney Auld ’26 (Collinsville, Okla.) and Jordan Grimes ’26 (Rapid City, S.D.) were KWU’s top competitors, finishing second in Digital Marketing Strategies and third in Entertainment Marketing. Oriana Botz ’26 (Salina, Kan.) and Madelene McVey ’27 (Wichita, Kan.) earned a runner-up finish in International Marketing to record the Coyotes’ other podium result. Both Botz and Auld wrap up their DECA careers with three podium results during their three years as a part of the program.
Other top-10 results include the teams of Paige Chauncey ’26 (Junction City, Kan.) and Shelby Davidson ’27 (Delphos, Kan.) in the Advertising Campaign category; Botz, McVey and Emily Stamper ’27 (Plainville, Kan.) in Business Research; Stamper and Davidson (Event Planning) and the individual effort of Michael Purkey ’27 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) in Professional Sales.
The effort gave KWU six podium results and 13 top-10 finishes during the past two international meets.
“Maintaining our presence as one of the premier DECA teams in the world is a testament to the students’ dedication and motivation; their high-level projects and overall creativity continue to set a global standard,” said Dr. Trish Petak, team coach. “I’m incredibly proud of the nine who competed this year and am truly blessed to witness the professional development of these future leaders.”
For more information on Collegiate DECA, visit www.deca.org/collegiate.
