AMA Whitewater Wins Case Competition at 2026 AMA International Collegiate Conference

Written by: Gracie Weston 

Students from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics (CoBE) American Marketing Association chapter (AMA Whitewater) earned international recognition, winning first-place in the AMA Collegiate Case Competition at the AMA International Collegiate Conference (ICC) in Chicago, Illinois from March 12-14.

 The AMA Collegiate Case Competition is a year-long, national academic challenge that tasks marketing students with developing a comprehensive, research-backed marketing strategy for a real-world client. This year’s competition was co-sponsored by Major League Baseball and Deloitte Digital. Teams spent months conducting research, analyzing market conditions, and building a full strategic marketing plan before submitting a full report in December. Out of 110 teams internationally, AMA Whitewater advanced to the final 11 and was ultimately named the overall winner after presenting their work live to MLB and Deloitte executives at ICC.

 The final presentation team included Brenden Lewandowski (Junior, Business Analytics BBA), Alex Brokaw (Junior, Marketing BBA), Alexia Lewis (Senior, Marketing BBA), Gaby Matamoros (Senior, Business Analytics BBA), and Fischer Hansen (Sophomore, Management BBA). The team delivered a

25-minute presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session with industry judges.

 “Being a part of AMA Whitewater’s case team has taught me a lot about perseverance and hard work,” said Lewandowski. “This now being my third year, I understood what was ahead of me, a year-long project that ends in a fully memorized presentation in front of marketing professionals.”

 “Ending my senior year with an experience like this is something I will carry with me forever,” said Matamoros. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude, pride, and emotion. This journey reminded me that growth happens when you step into spaces that scare you. What most people don’t see are the early mornings, late nights, constant revisions, and moments where we questioned if we were good enough. This journey pushed me further than I ever expected, not just academically or professionally, but personally.”

 The presentation team was supported by a larger group of students who played a critical role in developing the written strategy and presentation materials. Rafa Alvarez-Reyes (Senior, Marketing BBA), Mallory Michalski

(Senior, Human Resource Management BBA), Raina Rogne (Senior, Accounting BBA & Human Resource Management BBA), Celina Arteaga (Senior, Marketing BBA), Caitlyn Murphree (Senior, Marketing BBA & Management BBA), Ava Sterbin (Junior, Marketing BBA), Emily Morales (Senior, Accounting BBA), Victoria Catarella (Senior, Marketing BBA), Dakota Senkbiel (Senior, Marketing BBA), Ansh Dhingra (Senior, Marketing BBA), Spencer Wiersma (Senior, Marketing BBA), and Zane Bluhm (Junior, General Business BBA) are among, but not limited to, the larger team of contributors. The team was advised by Lauren Drury and Andy Dahl.

Lauren Drury, the lead advisor for the case team, said “The case, sponsored by Major League Baseball (MLB) and Deloitte Digital, required months of work.

The team received the case brief in October, submitted a 40-page marketing plan in December, and advanced to finals in January. With just six weeks to prepare, the shortest timeline in the years I’ve known, they delivered a polished presentation and handled a live Q&A with VPs and Executives from MLB and Deloitte. Proud to advise this team and see their hard work pay off in such a big way!”

“It’s always fun to win anything, but winning the case competition really hits different,” said Alvarez-Reyes, former co-president of AMA Whitewater. “It’s probably the hardest thing we do in the chapter, but also the most worthwhile. You learn the most from it, and I’m glad it worked out for us this year.”

In addition to the case competition victory, AMA Whitewater also earned multiple accolades throughout the conference. The chapter took first place in the Marketing Week competition, recognizing a week-long series of themed programming and content created by the organization. The award-winning report was developed by co-presidents Alvarez-Reyes and Michalski.

The chapter also placed second in the Recruitment Video competition, with a video written, directed, and produced by Marek Lisiecki (Sophomore, Marketing BBA).

AMA Whitewater also excelled in individual events, sending twelve students to the final round of the Perfect Pitch Competition (out of 590+ competitors) and placing seven finalists in the Sales Competition (out of 168 competitors), further demonstrating the depth of talent within the chapter. Michael Van Offeren (Senior, Finance BBA) took second place in the Perfect Pitch Competition and 3rd place in the Sales Competition. Taylor Wojcinkski and Abby Zimmerman (Junior, Marketing BBA) earned 4th and 5th place in the sales competition, respectively.

This marks another milestone in AMA Whitewater’s continued success at the international level. The chapter is a 15-time consecutive International Chapter of the Year winner, solidifying its reputation as one of the top-performing collegiate AMA organizations in the country.

More About AMA Whitewater:

AMA Whitewater is a student run marketing organization residing within the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics. The club is one of the most decorated AMA collegiate chapters in the world, winning 21 total “International Chapter of the Year” titles, 15 of which have come consecutively. The club meets on Wednesday at 4PM in Timmerman auditorium, and is always accepting new members. Anyone interested in joining AMA should contact Taylor Wojcinski (WojcinskTM25@uww.edu)

More about the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics (CoBE):

Wisconsin’s largest business college, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics, is home to the  1 ranked online Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program in the State, of single schools. The College of Business and Economics offers a rich breadth of co-curricular activities to enhance student development and learning outcomes. CoBE is in the top 1% of the world’s business schools, earning both AACSB and AACSB Accounting Accreditation (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). For more information on the College of Business and Economics, visit uww.edu/cobe or email cobe@uww.edu.

Photos

Above: AMA Whitewater’s case competition presentation team (left to right) Rafa Alvarez-Reyes, Fischer Hansen, Alexia Lewis, Alex Brokaw, Gaby Matamoros, and Brenden Lewandowski at the 2026 AMA International Collegiate Conference in Chicago, Illinois.

Photo courtesy of Mark Campbell Productions.

Above: Members of AMA Whitewater gather at the 2026 AMA International Collegiate Conference in Chicago, Illinois, where the chapter earned first place in the Collegiate Case Competition along with multiple additional awards.

Photo courtesy of Mark Campbell Productions.