The University of Central Florida has had another banner year at the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC). UCF’s own Kyle Williams was crowned the National Champion of the 10^th annual sales role play competition, considered to be the Olympics of collegiate selling.  His teammate, Tara Penhollow also had a solid showing in the competition making it into the quarter final round.  As a school, UCF won 2^nd Place overall out of 50 participating universities, thanks to the awesome strength of its team. 

NCSC is the most intense and exciting competition available to business students today!  It is a role play competition that’s run tournament style and held at Kennesaw State University just north of Atlanta.  This year, there were 98 student competitors representing universities and sales programs across the nation.  When students aren’t role playing, they can participate in the exclusive job fair made up of companies looking to grow their sales organizations with today’s top sales graduates.  Companies supporting the competition also provide their own representatives to serve as buyers and judges in the various role play rounds.

SalesGravy.com sponsored UCF’s winning team which is comprised of five of its top professional selling students who prepared for five months before traveling to the competition, two of those students represented UCF as competitors and the other three served the role of student coach, role play buyer, and team support.  The two competitors were Kyle Williams and Tara Penhollow and completing the team were Chris Bush, Jared Meyers and Mike Marroquin.  It was everyone’s individual commitment to absolute excellence that led to the tremendous victory.  All five students are members of the prestigious, limited-access Professional Selling Program which focuses on preparing students for a successful career as a professional salesperson.  UCF’s program admits only 30 students each year!

In UCF’s own winning style, Jared Meyers took 1^st Place in the Rowland Mountain Voicemail/Interview competition, winning a 32” plasma TV and also won the Long Drive Award for the networking  golf outing.  Other highlights of the team’s NCSC trip included Tara’s singing of the National Anthem to kick off the formal awards ceremony, one of the most memorable performances of the entire three day event!

This year’s wins are a continuation of a winning tradition.  UCF placed 2^nd overall as a school at NCSC 2007, with its own Alex Homer taken 2^nd Place in the nation as an individual!

The coaches of this year’s team, Cyndi Gundy and Nicole Howatt are prouder than ever to be associated with such fine sales talent.  To them, working with a team as well blended as this one hardly seems like work.  In fact, while the victories at this great competition are certainly coveted, it is the memories of working with the team that make the experience so memorable; after all, success is a journey, not a destination.