Mercyhurst defends Digital Marketing title, sends three teams to national championships

Inside Mercyhurst’s Center for Applied Excellence on Friday afternoon, students ran live business simulations—testing strategy, analytics, and decision-making in real time—before departing for Nashville to compete in the National Collegiate Business Championships.

The university returns as the defending national champion in Digital Marketing and is sending three teams to compete across the Digital Marketing, Innovation, and Graduate Sport Analytics divisions.

Faculty mentors Dr. John Parente, associate professor of Sport Business Management and Faculty Athletic Representative, and Brian Fuller, executive director of the Center for Intelligence Research, Analysis, and Training (CIRAT), are guiding the teams as they prepare to showcase their skills before industry professionals and national judges.

“We won the Digital Marketing championship last year, and this year we’re competing across three national divisions in one location,” said Parente. “It’s exciting to watch our very best represent Mercyhurst before industry experts. We get to be their first ‘agent’ and tell the world what Mercyhurst already knows.”

The Digital Marketing team enters the competition as defending champions, though none of this year’s competitors were part of last year’s winning group—a testament to the depth and continuity of the program.

In addition to the undergraduate divisions, Mercyhurst will compete in the Graduate Sport Analytics category, highlighting the university’s strength in applied data science and intelligence studies.

Nine Division I student-athletes are among this year’s competitors, underscoring Mercyhurst’s commitment to balancing academic excellence, athletic performance, and professional preparation.

“This competition is a great opportunity to apply everything we’ve learned in the classroom to real-world challenges,” said Alyssa Szychowski '26. “It’s an exciting experience to develop our skills and represent Mercyhurst in a professional setting.”

Students will compete throughout the weekend, applying strategy, analytics, marketing, and business decision-making skills in a high-pressure, professional environment.

Digital Marketing Team

• Elena Delcorvo '26 – Double Major in Sport Business Management & Marketing; Women’s Lacrosse
• Blythe Lyons '26 – Double Major in Sport Business Management & Marketing; Women’s Rowing
• Alyssa Szychowski '26 – Double Major in Sport Business Management & Marketing
• Ella Kloss '26 – Graphic Design major; Marketing minor
• Katie Ventresca '27 – Double Major in Sport Business Management & Marketing; Women’s Lacrosse

Innovation Team

• RJ Delisanti '28 – Double Major in Finance & Sport Business Management; Men’s Golf
• Mykhailo Polishchuk '27 – Double Major in Data Science & AI and Marketing; Men’s Tennis
• Kaila Szczygielski '27 – Major in Business Economics; Minors in Accounting and Political Science; Women’s Cross Country & Track
• John White '26 – Double Major in Political Science Pre-Law & Intelligence Studies; Men’s Golf
• Joseph Chiprean '26 – Double Major in Sport Business Management & Marketing

Graduate Sport Analytics Team

• Evan Olszowka '26 – M.S. in Applied Intelligence
• Rebecka Habursky '26 – M.S. in Data Science
• Eric Combs '26 – Data Science
• Mckenzie Smith '26 – M.S. in Applied Intelligence
• Danilo Vujovic '26 – M.S. in Data Science