Students from the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics continued a strong run of results this spring, winning both the team competition and the individual competition and earning a second-place overall finish at the in-person Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge Southern Conference championships held in Knoxville.
The competition brought together more than 70 students from across the region to compete in a series of live Excel-based case challenges, testing speed, accuracy and problem-solving under time constraints.
Across the weekend, Gatton students delivered one of the most consistent performances in the field.
The team earned:
The overall team standings were determined by cumulative performance across all competitors, with University of Tennessee finishing first, University of Kentucky second and Vanderbilt University third.
The team placed first in both the February and March online Microsoft Excel competitions, qualifying the team for the World Championships in Las Vegas this December.
Faculty advisors John Saliling and Leonce Bargeron said the consistency across formats—both online and in-person—reflects the team’s preparation and depth.
“What stands out is not just the top finishes, but the overall strength of the group,” Saliling said. “We have students at multiple levels contributing, and that’s what sustains performance over time.”
One of the most notable outcomes from the Knoxville competition was the performance of Gatton’s younger students.
A varsity team composed entirely of freshmen placed first in two case events, competing against teams that included graduate students, including master’s-level competitors from Vanderbilt.
The Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge focuses on practical application, requiring students to work through complex datasets and business scenarios in real time. For participants, the experience mirrors the type of analytical work expected in finance, consulting and data-focused roles. Students must not only build accurate models, but do so quickly—often under tight deadlines and competitive pressure.
With qualification secured for the World Championships, Gatton’s Excel team will continue competing in monthly events throughout the year while preparing for the December competition in Las Vegas.
For Saliling and Bargeron, the focus remains on development as much as results.
“This is a group that continues to improve,” Saliling said. “We’re seeing students put in the work, support each other and build skills that will carry well beyond the competition.”
