91探花

Two 91探花 students from the College of Business Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre recently placed fifth out of more than 75 universities in the 22nd Annual , the longest-running university sales competition. 

NCSC is a university sales role-play competition that is hosted annually by Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Unlike previous years, this year鈥檚 event was hosted entirely online due to the coronavirus pandemic from March 27-30.

鈥淚 am very proud of these two students for performing exceptionally well on a national level while representing 91探花 and the Schey Sales Centre,鈥� OHIO President M. Duane Nellis said. 鈥淭heir placement among the top teams is a great achievement. I commend them for the quick adaption to an online format, and thank the faculty and staff that helped them prepare for this national competition.鈥� 

OHIO was represented by the Schey Sales Centre鈥檚 student co-chairs, Grace Brezina and Brody Gilliand. The two were selected to compete from the internal OHIO Cup sales competition held in advance of the national event. 

鈥淪tudents from the Schey consistently perform on a national level,鈥� said Adam Rapp, executive director of the Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre. 鈥淥ur partners and employers value the skills and experience that sales candidates bring to their organizations, but it鈥檚 also great to see our students compete with the best at collegiate competitions.鈥�

The two students competed separately from each other in their respective homes, each making adjustments when preparing for the competition since it was moved to an online format. 

Students are first scored individually as they compete for an overall ranking for the university. 

Brezina, a junior journalism strategic communication major, placed in NCSC鈥檚 Sweet 16, finishing among the top eight. 鈥淚t was a rewarding experience getting to do [the competition] online. It really helped me understand what making best of the circumstances should look like in this time,鈥� Brezina said. 

Gilliand, a junior management information systems and marketing double major, had competed previously in the 2019 NCSC. He finished among the top 24. He noted the differences between how to prep for the competition due to it being moved to online, including creating PowerPoint slides to use during the presentation instead of physical handouts. 

Together, Brezina and Gilland鈥檚 net scores combined to place OHIO fifth in the nation overall in the competition. 

鈥淚 think the biggest thing was getting used to having conversations over video,鈥� Gilliand said. 鈥淣on-verbal (cues) are harder to read, there鈥檚 delay time and you鈥檒l run into lag or not being able to hear anything.鈥�

Both students were grateful for Greg Scott, their sales coach and director of partnerships at the Schey Sales Centre, who helped them prepare for the competition remotely. 

鈥淥ur coach did an awesome job at making sure that we were prepped, even when none of us were together by hopping on Zoom calls and really taking the time to sit with us and run roleplays,鈥� Brezina said. 鈥淚t was great to see and made me feel supported in doing my first competition.鈥�

Gilliand agreed, expressing gratefulness for Scott being available amid the shift to remote learning. 鈥淗e put in so much work and dedication to us students, it was incredible,鈥� he said.  

Students of all majors can apply to join the Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre.

鈥淭he Schey Sales Centre for me has honestly had the biggest impact on me throughout my college career,鈥� Gilliand said. He highlighted access to leadership roles, corporate partner connections and sales competition as being crucial resources available to him within the program. 

For more information about Schey Sales Centre programs, visit .