WKU News

Western Kentucky University’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter placed first overall at the 2026 ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championship.

WKU was among 25 teams that qualified for the national competition. The event took place at Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia, on June 25-27, 2026.

This accomplishment was the first year WKU won the national concrete canoe competition and the fifth consecutive year they placed in the top five.

“Our students invested countless hours designing, testing, constructing, presenting, and practicing,” said Jason Wilson, Civil Engineering Instructor and faculty advisor for the WKU ASCE student chapter. “They represented WKU with professionalism, resilience, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”

In canoe contests, WKU also placed first in Oral Presentation and Final Product, and they placed in the top five in Men’s Slalom, Women’s Slalom, Men’s Spring, Coed Spring, and Women’s Sprint.

 The theme for the canoe, named USS Alliance, was chosen by the team members and selected to honor the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, happening this week.

”We chose the 250th anniversary to celebrate America and recognize the veterans who served our country,” Sophia Adams, a senior from O’Fallon, Missouri, and co-captain of the concrete canoe team, said. “It gave us a meaningful way to reflect and appreciate in our canoe and display design.”

After members of the WKU ASCE student chapter develop a theme for their entry, they create technical designs to meet specifications, experiment with concrete mixes to achieve the right composition, build a test canoe, make modifications as needed, and then build the final product. In competition, the team displays the canoe, presents it, and puts it to the test in races.

“It was an exciting feeling Friday to stand beside Tygart Lake in West Virginia, shouting ‘T-O-P-S, Tops, Tops, TOPS!’ repeatedly, cheering on our Concrete Canoe team,” said Dr. David Brown, Dean of the WKU Ogden College of Science and Engineering.

Dr. Bud Fischer, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, also congratulated the team on their accomplishment. 

“Winning a national championship is a remarkable achievement, but earning this distinction in a competition that demands excellence in engineering design, materials science, technical communication, manufacturing, project management, teamwork, and athletic performance makes this accomplishment especially impressive,” Dr. Fischer said.

Adams, along with her co-captain, Luke Evans, reflected on their accomplishment with pride.

"Hearing our name announced as the national champions was a surreal moment," said Evans. "Every late night, early morning, and hour of hard work our incredible team invested had finally paid off. I truly can’t imagine a better group of students to bring WKU’s first national title back to the Hill."

In addition to Adams, concrete canoe team members include Solomon Bawi of Bowling Green, Camden Carpenter of Russell Springs, Emarie Cates of Gallatin, Tennessee, Ben Clouse of Somerset, Luke Evans of Owensboro, Chase Fleenor of Scottsburg, Indiana, Kaya Goertz of Defiance, Missouri, Larissa Hernandez of Nashville, Tennessee, Nicholas Holenstein of Spring Hill, Tennessee, Keaton Kessler of Columbia, Sam Reader of Edwardsville, Illinois, William Reeves of Owensboro, Alex Reyolds of Jamestown, Jackson Rodgers of Bowling Green, Hector Santiago of Bradenburg, and Jaxon Williams of Owensboro.

Contact: Jason Wilson, jason.wilson@wku.edu