OU grad sports program wins national cup again

Four graduate students in Ohio University's Sports Administration program took home the cup in the recent 2012 National Sports Forum Case Cup Competition, making OU the first school to win the competition multiple times.

Brett Brecheisen, Danny DuChene, Hallie English and Allison Pisching were the four second-year graduate students selected to represent OU in the national competition, which ran from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. The honor was determined by open try-outs among the 25 second-year students.

The national competition took place in Oklahoma City where OU's team competed against seven other top teams nationwide, including this year's runner-up, George Washington University. Brecheisen explained that it's a three-day convention beginning with a social event on day one. The second day, all teams are given a sports-related case and allotted 24 hours to come up with a solution. Then all teams present their case to a panel of four judges who narrow it down to two teams, who then face off in a second round.

Brecheisen said it felt great winning the national title. "The Ohio Sports Administration program is one of the oldest, and by many, considered the most prestigious in the country," he said. "In recent years, there has been an abundance of other programs nationwide giving us more competition. We wanted to represent all of our alumni, classmates and the university in general to show that we are still on top. One of our slogans is, 'still the one'."

Brecheisen attributes such success to the school's network of alumni. "As the oldest program in the country, we obviously have a lot of alumni in the industry who do a phenomenal job giving back," he said. "Several of us found internships last summer through alumni; they are eager to give back to the students of today, leaders of tomorrow," he said. "It definitely helps us stand out."

As a result of their success, Brecheisen noted that the Bobcats will be featured in an upcoming edition of SportsBusiness Journal.