[374] MTSU Senior Trio Savors National Competition Experience Morrow Reaches Quarterfinals in Event that Draws 350 Participants

Release date: March 19, 2010


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Management and Marketing contact: Dr. Katie Kemp, 615-898-2346
or kkemp@mtsu.edu

MTSU Senior Trio Savors National Competition Experience
Morrow Reaches Quarterfinals in Event that Draws 350 Participants

(MURFREESBORO, TN) – Senior Andrea Morrow advanced to the quarterfinals and senior Mitch Washer also competed in the 12th annual National Collegiate Sales Competition March 5-8 in Kennesaw, Ga.
“I had an amazing educational experience at the National Collegiate Sales Competition,” said Morrow, who is from Florence, Ala.
“As a competitor, I was able to role play sales calls that were judged by professors from other schools and professional salespeople,” added Morrow, who plans to graduate in December. “Receiving critiques from real salespeople was a great learning opportunity that you cannot get in most classrooms. I learned how to properly present myself and interact with business professionals in both a casual and professional setting. I will use what I learned from this opportunity for the rest of my life.”
Washer, who is from Leonard, Mich., and also plans to graduate in December, said, “The NCSC and the training from Dr. (Katie) Kemp taught me not just how to sell a product, but how to sell myself. I gained more confidence and learned how to network more effectively by speaking with over 30 different professional
companies in one weekend. It was a great experience.”
Senior Jennifer Threlkeld of Carrollton, Texas, also attended as the third team member, but did not compete since only two competitors per university are allowed to participate. Threlkeld will graduate in May with an advertising degree and minors in psychology and marketing.
“It was a priceless weekend and changed my future undeniably,” she said. “Speaking as someone who had not prepared properly for the job search, being on the sales team not only got me ready, but it provided opportunities to find jobs. … This is an experience that people should be fighting over.”
“She worked very hard role playing with the competitors and served as a student coach for them,” Kemp said of Threlkeld’s role. Kemp, assistant professor in the Department of Management and Marketing, accompanied the students on the trip.
“They attended the Career Fair and met most of the employers,” Kemp said.
The NCSC is the world’s largest collegiate sales competition, organizers said. Hosted by the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University, about 350 students from 61 universities participated this year.
Nearly 30 companies, including Liberty Mutual, ADP, Tom James, Owens Corning, AT&T, Hewlett Packard, Dow Jones, NCR and Reynolds and Reynolds, participated.
NCSC sponsor resources provide funding to defray expenses of the competing students and participating faculty, organizers said.


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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.


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