KWU DECA Dominates Again

By Todd Pittenger March 9, 2026

Kansas Wesleyan’s DECA program continued its winning tradition at late February’s state meet at Hillsboo’s Tabor College.

According to the school, the KWU DECA team came back from the state tournament with all nine team members placing in every event. Seven were awarded first place, with Courtney Auld and Jordan Grimes leading the way, earning first in all three of their events.

“Artificial intelligence has shifted the competitive landscape of collegiate DECA; it makes our students’ results more impressive,” said Dr. Trish Petak, team coach. “I’m incredibly proud of how they’ve leaned into this new complexity, proving that human insight and impromptu business acumen are still the ultimate competitive advantages.”

The state tournament was hosted Feb. 27 by Tabor College, with 133 competitors from universities throughout the area.

In the team’s nine years of competing, it has consistently brought home top honors from state and international contests.

The Coyotes will now head to Louisville, Ky., April 18-22 to face about 110 other institutions worldwide in the International DECA competition.

Results from state DECA are below.

Prepared Events:

  • First Place — Advertising Campaign: Paige Chauncey ’27 (Junction City, Kan.) and Shelby Davidson ’28 (Delphos, Kan.)
  • First Place — Business Research: Oriana Botz ’26 (Salina), Madelene McVey ’27 (Wichita, Kan.) and Emily Stamper ’26 (Plainville, Kan.)
  • First Place — Digital Marketing Strategies: Courtney Auld ’26 (Collinsville, Okla.) and Jordan Grimes ’28 (Rapid City, S.D.)
  • Second Place — Professional Sales: Michael Purkey ’29 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
  • Third Place — Professional Sales: Brodie Bradshaw ’26 (Inola, Okla.)

Team Events:

  • First Place — Business-to-Business Marketing: Auld and Grimes
  • First Place — Entertainment Marketing: Auld and Grimes
  • First Place — International Marketing: Botz and McVey
  • Second Place — Event Planning: Davidson and Stamper
  • Second Place — Business Ethics: Bradshaw and Chauncey
  • Second Place — Sports Marketing: Bradshaw and Chauncey
  • Third Place — Marketing Communication: Botz and Madelene McVey (Wichita, Kan.)

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Photo via KWU