Western Colorado University Energy Management students continued a run of strong performances at the American Association of Professional Landmen’s North American Prospect Expo (NAPE), held every year in Houston. This year, four Western students teamed up to take third place among 11 of the country’s top accredited Energy Management programs in the undergraduate Energy Innovation Case Competition.
The NAPE conference brought together professionals from the energy industry and teams from as far away as Duke University, and the University of Michigan, as well as hometown favorites like Rice University and Texas A&M. “It was a fantastic opportunity to build industry connections, gain insights from professionals, and explore potential career paths that will benefit them in the future,” Energy Management program director Dennis Dunivan said.
Western took 11 students, including Annika Harris, Brody Leetun, Ella DeBow, Evan Crocker, Jack Williams, Luke Riters, Quintin Klich, Rorie Wiedow, Rylun Clark, Skylee Barry, and Ashley Sokol, who also serves as the Student Program Coordinator. Ella, Rorie, Evan, and Ashley were the four students selected to represent Western in the Case Competition.
The Energy Innovation Case Competition had two rounds to determine which students would best respond to a real-world land acquisition scenario. In the first round, students were provided with a case in which a company needed to identify 2 out of 14 options that would benefit the long-term health of the company. Then the team had to put together a 15-slide PowerPoint proposal with supporting documents.
After the team made it through the first round of the competition, the judges told them that the plan they submitted in the first round wouldn’t work because circumstances had changed. For the second round, they would need to reevaluate their plan and submit new ideas. How the teams responded to the new challenge determined their final ranking in the competition.
Of the five finalists, Western’s team placed third in the nation.
“Seeing my team excel in a competition like this is incredibly rewarding. It’s a testament to the hard work, dedication, and teamwork we’ve put in, and it reinforces the value of the Energy Management program at Western,” Sokol said. “Competing at a high level and showcasing our knowledge among industry professionals is both validating and motivating.”
While the competition is an important part of the conference, NAPE is also a chance for students to connect with recruiters, find internships, and meet potential employers, all while exploring the intersection of land, finance, and technical disciplines in energy.
“By attending NAPE, our students had the chance to connect with top industry professionals, recruiters, and potential employers, opening doors for internships and full-time positions,” Dunivan said. “They were able to observe deal-making in action, understand emerging trends in the energy sector, and enhance their professional communication skills.”
For Sokol, who has attended NAPE three times and participated in the case competition twice, the experience helped her see how all the pieces of a deal fall into place and solidified her decision to pursue a career in Energy Management.
“Attending NAPE and competing in the Case Competition provides real-world experience that goes beyond the classroom. We gain valuable insights into deal structures, land negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, and market analysis while refining our critical thinking and presentation skills,” she said. “The experience challenges us to apply what we’ve learned in a high-pressure environment, which is great preparation for our future careers.
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Energy Management
Author Credit: Seth Mensing
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