Kansas Wesleyan’s DECA squad captured an impressive 29 medals, 15 of them first-place honors, at the 2020 state meet, held on Feb. 3 at Tabor College in Hillsboro.
Four KWU competitors—Matthew Whitsitt (Newton, Kan.), Ryann Kats (Prairie View, Kan.), Dillon Harriger (Kearney, Mo.) and Autumn Colgin (Canton, Kan.)—led the team with two first-place medals apiece. KWU grabbed the top two spots in both the travel and tourism and fashion merchandising and marketing events, and captured multiple podium finishes in four other competitions as well.
“Our DECA students have not only established themselves as the state’s best competitors over the last three years, but also as legitimate contenders at the national competition,” said KWU head coach Brylee New ’17. “I am extremely proud of the reputation they are continuing to build for both our program and our school.”
KWU’s 29 medals give the program 72 state medals in its mere three years of existence, to go along with quality results at nationals that have included multiple top-10 placings.
KWU DECA will return to action April 22–25, when select members of the squad travel to Atlanta, Ga., to take part in the national DECA event.
KWU State DECA Results
Business Ethics: Nathan Merc and Matthew Whitsitt, first place
Business to Business: Megan Schutz and Hailey Vandevanter, first place
Event Planning: Meredith Angelotti and Haylie Rodriguez, third place
Entrepreneurship Operations: Dillon Harriger, first place
Fashion Merchandising and Marketing: Karley Benson, first place and Austin Wiley, second place
Hotel and Lodging: Tifanie Becker, second place and Haylie Rodriguez, third place
Human Resource Management: Courtney Brockhoff, second place and Taylor Lang, third place
International Marketing: Dillon Harriger and Taylor Lang, first place
Managerial Accounting: Matthew Whitsitt, first place
Marketing and Communications: Autumn Colgin and Ryann Kats, first place and Karley Benson and Emily Monson, third place
Marketing Management: Autumn Colgin, first place
Restaurant and Food Service Management: Tifanie Becker, first place
Retail Management: Nathan Mercer, second place and Meredith Angelotti, third place
Sales Management Meeting: Ryann Kats, first place
Sports and Entertainment Marketing: Eli Truhe and Austin Wiley, second place
Travel and Tourism: Emily Monson, first place and Eli Truhe, second place
ABOUT DECA: DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. It enhances the co-curricular education of members through a comprehensive learning program that integrates into classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition. DECA’s activities assist in the development of academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible, experienced leaders. DECA Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit student organization with more than 200,000 members in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Canada, China, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The United States Congress, The United States Department of Education and state, district and international departments of education authorize DECA’s programs.
