Grossman School of Business Hosts 8th Annual Dean’s Cup Case Competition 

On March 3, 2026, the Grossman School of Business at the University of Vermont hosted its 8th Annual Dean’s Cup Case Competition, welcoming fifty‑four undergraduate competitors across fifteen teams. The event marked a significant milestone for the student‑run competition, including a more than 50 percent increase in student participation compared to the previous year and the first‑time inclusion of teams from Champlain College and SUNY Plattsburgh. 

Organized by the Dean’s Cup Student Committee and supported by the Grossman Student Advisory Committee, the Dean’s Cup exemplifies student-led experiential learning at GSB. It challenges participants to apply academic knowledge to real-world business problems while strengthening their analytical, collaboration, and presentation skills.  

Welcoming New Competition 

Competitor interest reached record levels in 2026. According to Joseph Anderson, a Junior Lead Coordinator, pre‑competition events attracted hundreds of students. Registration filled rapidly within hours of opening. 

In total, the 2026 Dean’s Cup brought together 54 competitors, 26 student volunteers, 21 judges, and 13 staff members, making it the largest competition in the event’s history. This year also marked the first year that external schools were able to compete in the Dean’s Cup. 

“We’re computer science students so this is nowhere near our area of expertise at all, and I think it was a really nice way to step out of our comfort zone.” Matthew Kane Jimenez (Champlain College) remarked. Robert Bloch, professor at Champlain College, hopes to see the Dean’s Cup continue to expand its reach to other Universities in the New England area.  

Expanding The Dean’s Cup 

This year, the Dean’s Cup was led by Senior Lead Coordinators, Otto Berckmueller and Emma Kanjorski alongside Junior Lead Coordinators, Joseph Anderson and Anka Delos-Reyes. Thanks to expanded funding, the Dean’s Cup Student Committee launched a rebrand with a new logo and a website (www.deanscup.org).   

“Dean’s Cup started eight years ago as a GSAC initiative and it’s been awesome to see how it’s grown even in my four years here at Grossman, so I’m super happy to see everyone getting some case competition experience today.” said GSAC President Kate Kelly.  

The competition was supported by twenty‑one judges, including faculty members, alumni, and business professionals from across the country. Judges evaluated team presentations and engaged students in thoughtful question‑and‑answer sessions. The event was entirely student‑organized and made possible by twenty‑six student volunteers serving in roles ranging from room coordination to photography and logistics support. 

Learning Through Collaboration and Challenge 

The Dean’s Cup is one opportunity for students to gain experience outside of the classroom. Kaelin Burke, a Marketing and Accounting student, described the experience as an intensive learning process that strengthened her critical thinking, problem‑solving, and presentation skills.  

Wolfgang Weimersheimer, whose team advanced to the finals, reflected on the competition. Weimersheimer noted the competition challenged both his business thinking and self‑awareness, particularly as his team refined an acquisition‑driven approach to addressing the case’s challenges. 

The all-freshman First Place Team, consisting of Andres Miguez, Austin Xiao, Erik Stensgaard, and Jordan Duncan, presented a strategy titled Amazon’s Age of Refinement. The solution focused on leveraging Amazon’s existing strengths to drive innovation, increase customer value, and optimize operational efficiency. 

Reflecting on the experience, Andres Miguez emphasized the intensity of distilling weeks of work into a single presentation. Miguez noted their fifteen minutes of presentation represented countless hours of research, collaboration, and refinement. He credited the team’s success to a shared work of ethic and complementary skill sets, describing the experience as a powerful example of what a committed team can accomplish. 

Recognizing Sustained Student Leadership 

The 2026 Dean’s Cup also marked an important milestone for Otto Berckmueller, who placed first as a freshman and served as an organizer for the past three years. Now a senior, Berckmueller served as the Senior Lead Coordinator for Competition Logistics and was named the 2026 Student Leadership Award recipient, recognizing his sustained leadership and long‑term contributions to the competition’s growth and success. 

2026 Dean’s Cup Award Recipients 

First Place Team 
Andres Miguez, Austin Xiao, Erik Stensgaard, Jordan Duncan 

Second Place Team 
Dakota Anne Swart, Pierce Cattier, Joshua Moore, Cole Snyder 

Third Place Team 
Justin Mathews, Chris Burns, Karolina Gochman, Kaelin Burke 

Best Presenter 
Karolina Gochman 

Finalists 
Ryann O’Carroll, Madeleine Reilly, Ella McAnespine, Lila Kirwin, Wolfgang Weimersheimer, Luke Leary, Noah Silvestre 

Spirit Award 
Ethan Arnold 

Finals Judges 
Enerino Caruccio, Rocki-Lee Dewitt, Claire Walton, Bill Davis 

Looking Ahead

With record participation, expanded institutional partnerships, and a strengthened student leadership model, the 8th Annual Dean’s Cup marked a pivotal year for the competition. Stay tuned to see what’s next at deanscup.org!