LSU No. 1 in National Construction Management Student Competition

LSU has swept the 2026 Construction Management Competition, a national student-led competition testing undergraduates’ ability to manage a major construction project and meet the highest standards for safety, quality, and efficiency.

The competition is sponsored by DEWALT and Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), a national construction industry trade association with a local chapter, ABC Pelican, based in Baton Rouge. LSU’s student team, sponsored by ABC Pelican, is based in the Bert S. Turner Department of Construction Management in LSU’s College of Engineering.

The LSU team this week was named the national champion, beating out 29 other teams from universities and colleges across America. To win, students had to earn the highest cumulative points in five competition categories - estimating, project management, safety, quality control, and overall achievement.

LSU students placed in the top three for estimating, project management, safety and overall achievement, clinching their victory along with the title of 2025 ABC Student Chapter of the Year.

“We’re on cloud nine,” said senior Madison Baglio, a team co-captain and president of the college’s Construction Student Association. “It was such an incredible experience, and we were so driven from start to finish. We were determined to bring it home, and I’m so proud we did.”

Baglio said she met about 10 hours a week with co-captains Aaron Bulaclac, Colin Gele, and Loralee Sturdivant to work on the project. Everyone brought a unique skill to the table: Bulaclac in quality control, Gele in estimating, and Sturdivant in safety management. Baglio served as project executive and completed the schedule.

“I learned teamwork means everything,” she said. “It’s essential to have a team with diverse skills and strengths, along with people who challenge you to give your best. My fellow team captains shared the same drive and determination to win as I did. You can’t do this work alone.”

Gerrad Delatte, a professional-in-residence in construction management and the faculty advisor for the ABC competition team, is floored by the team’s performance.

“Our students are national champions,” Delatte said. “What an accomplishment and a testament to their passion and grit. They proved that they’re capable of excellence and can compete - and win - at a national level.”

Each year, students in the ABC competition put their construction project leadership skills to the test by completing the same real-life project over a nine-week period.

This year’s project was building the Salt Lake City Convention Center Hotel - known as Hyatt Regency Salt Lake - which opened in 2022. Teams were given the actual drawings and specifications from the project and asked to plan for scheduling, pricing, and building the four-star hotel. It was a big task. The 686,000-square-foot, 25-story hotel has 517 guestrooms, over 60,000 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center, four restaurants, a market, an outdoor pool, an event terrace, and underground parking. In addition to completing the project on time and within budget, the primary goal was to avoid disrupting operations to the adjacent convention center during construction.

---

 

 

 

---

To compete, the LSU team took part in a three-phase process. First, in pre-competition work, they created a full construction proposal. Then Baglio, Bulaclac, Gele, and Sturdivant performed a five-hour spontaneous exercise in person to revise their proposal based on surprise scenarios, an exercise which took place at the annual ABC Convention last week in Salt Lake City. Finally, the co-captains conducted face-to-face interviews and made a presentation to judges.The competition gives construction management students a glimpse into real-world construction while showcasing their talents and offering resume-building experience. 

“Our students are national champions. What an accomplishment and a testament to their passion and grit. They proved that they’re capable of excellence and can compete - and win - at a national level.”

Gerrad Delatte, Professional-in-Residence, Faculty Advisor for the team

“This competition is a premier learning experience, the kind of real-world learning that our department and our college is known for,” said Charles Berryman, who leads the Department of Construction Management as Chair of the Contractors Educational Trust Fund Professorship. “Student competitors learn every facet of the construction management process and how to execute at the highest professional level.”

Berryman has helped build a powerhouse construction management program at LSU. The department produces one of the largest cohorts of construction management graduates in the country. The Louisiana Board of Regents in February voted to approve a new School of Construction within LSU Engineering, and the university is raising money to build a premier complex to house the school. The new Construction & Advanced Manufacturing Building will be a three-story, 148,000 square-foot building planned to rise across from Tiger Stadium on South Stadium Drive. Ground is planned to break in spring 2027.

Vicki Colvin, dean of LSU’s College of Engineering, said investments in construction and advanced manufacturing at LSU directly benefit the state. Nearly 70% of LSU construction management graduates stay in Louisiana and often move directly into full-time roles with state construction firms, where they contribute to infrastructure projects, public works, and commercial and residential development.

“LSU and the state of Louisiana have placed big bets in construction, and those are paying off in new talent, new tools, and new ways of doing business,” Colvin said. “We’re building a bright future right here.”

The LSU ABC Competition travel team members include senior and co-captain Madison Baglio; senior and co-captain Aaron Bulaclac; senior and co-captain Colin Gele; junior Hannah LaMorte; senior Zoë McCarthy; senior Jose Pinero; and senior and co-captain Loralee Sturdivant.

Team members who did not travel but contributed to the proposal stage include senior Anna Baquet; junior Allison Brual; junior Austin Combs; junior Brogan McKeown; junior Neely Rispone; and junior Zuliana Ruth.

---

Like the College of Engineering on Facebook or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.