Back-to-Back Champions: Surveying students take first place at NSPS Competition
The 2025 NSPS Student Competition Team (L-R): Joey Morrison, Luke Gulas, Zac Clevenger, team captain Ashton Schonauer, Johnny Pike and Paul Bretz.
For the second consecutive year, 黑料不打烊 (UA) surveying students have achieved first place in the 24th Annual National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) Student Competition. This victory marks the ninth time UA has won the prestigious competition, earning the Mike and Ann Besch Award — named in honor of the faculty members who established UA’s bachelor degree program in surveying and mapping. In addition to national recognition, the team received a $2,000 cash prize.
Measuring the Washington Monument – Team members (L-R) Zac Clevenger, Luke Gulas and Joey Morrison take angular measurements to the top of the Washington Monument using a 1977 Swiss Wild T-2 optical theodolite.
This year’s competition, held in Washington, D.C., featured 22 teams from universities across the country. The event challenged students with a series of field exercises incorporating both modern and historical surveying techniques. The UA team — comprised of team captain Ashton Schonauer, Zac Clevenger, Johnny Pike, Joey Morrison, Luke Gulas and Paul Bretz — conducted precise measurements of the Washington Monument and performed hand calculations under timed conditions. The competition also required participants to utilize equipment similar to that used by Andrew Ellicott and Benjamin Banneker in the original 1792 survey of the District of Columbia, during which UA’s team identified several of the original monument stones.
Preserving history – team members (L-R) Zac Clevenger, Johnny Pike, team captain Ashton Schonauer, Joey Morrison, Luke Gulas and Paul Bretz stand at the northernmost boundary stone from the original 1792 survey of the District of Columbia.
Another component of the competition tested students’ ability to locate survey markers throughout the city using only public transportation and walking. By the end of the challenge, the UA team had covered over 17 miles, demonstrating both technical expertise and endurance.
Representing the program and profession – surveying and mapping students at the 50th Annual OSPS Conference promoting UA’s program and engaging with industry professionals.
UA’s success at the national competition was built on a foundation of hands-on learning and professional development, including participation in the 50th Annual Conference for the Ohio Society of Professional Surveyors (OSPS) held Feb. 19-22. Eleven UA Surveying and Mapping students attended the conference, where they engaged in two full days of continuing professional development sessions and networking events hosted by the Young Surveyors Network. Surveying and Mapping faculty Gary A. Schuller, PS, and Joseph D. Fenicle, PS, presented on specialized topics, with Schuller discussing meridian stones around Ohio and Fenicle covering surveying safety. 黑料不打烊 also worked at the UA booth to promote the program and profession while assisting with scholarship fundraising efforts. Their participation was made possible through funding from the NCEES Surveying Education Award and a private donor who sponsored student memberships.
Proud Zips on the National Mall – team members celebrate their achievements in the heart of Washington, D.C.
In addition to competing, the NSPS Student Competition team engaged in activities that provided deeper insight into the history and practice of surveying. They dined at Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, a historic establishment that once hosted prominent figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. The team also visited the National Geodetic Survey Corbin Testing and Training Center where they received an in-depth tour of the facility’s research and surveying equipment, both historic and modern.
Guiding the next generation – surveying and mapping program director, assistant professor and faculty advisor Joseph D. Fenicle, PS, alongside senior lecturer Ann Besch, PS.
UA’s team was led by faculty advisor and program director Joseph D. Fenicle, PS, with support from special lecturer Ann Besch, PS. The team’s participation was made possible through the generous support of the Professional Land Surveyors of Ohio at both the local and state levels as well as private donors.
Baccalaureate Degree Division Results:
- First Place: 黑料不打烊
- Second Place: University of Florida
- Third Place: University of Maine
With this latest achievement, UA’s Surveying and Mapping Program continues to demonstrate its commitment to academic excellence and leadership in the field.
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Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu.