SAM team shatters its own record

Photo contributed

By Summer Bozeman

Flagler’s Society for Advancement of Management garnered six awards at this year’s International Business Conference, including its seventh win in the Management Case Competition, breaking its previous record of six wins. The win eclipses all other schools, who have never won more than three.

With this year’s win, Flagler has taken 32 percent of MCC titles since the award’s inception, and has beaten out Villanova University, Florida Institute of Technology and Texas A&M University, among others.

The team, led by seniors Maria DiPietro and Trista Straits, also won its sixth title as the best SAM chapter in the nation. Both DiPietro and Straits, along with their teammate Cassandra Sterba, were named Regional Award winners. DiPietro also received one of only 11 national awards. Senior Ryan Alfred and sophomore Sam Osborne were also on the championship team.

“No other school has achieved this,” SAM team advisor and professor of business administration Lou Preysz said.

Preysz himself was honored with one of eight Outstanding Faculty Advisor awards.

“This is especially gratifying to me since this award is based on a recommendation letter from my Flagler College SAM students,” he said.

DiPietro said she is especially proud of the team’s performance this year.

“This year we won an award in every category, which has never been done in our school’s history,” she said.

She attributes the team’s success to the preparation they receive from the faculty and curriculum.

“Our teachers and courses in the business major prepare us heavily in knowing how to create a wonderful case paper with multiple strategies,” she said.

DiPietro also credits Preysz for motivating the team to rise above the rest.

“He truly emphasizes to us the importance of these awards, and makes it clear to us that we should work very hard to succeed,” she said.