The Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 2 competition is one of the most challenging and well-respected construction contests in the Southeast, drawing top universities to tackle real-world problems. Teams face intense challenges across categories like commercial, preconstruction, heavy civil, concrete and design-build. With industry professionals providing complex projects, students create detailed proposals, estimate costs, schedule projects and present their solutions to expert judges.
This year, UVA’s Cavalier Construction teams built on an impressive debut from 2023, where they snagged second place in the preconstruction category. Riding that momentum, interest surged, and UVA entered two teams: one in the commercial category and another in preconstruction.
The teams — comprising nine civil engineering, two architecture, and one mechanical and aerospace engineering undergraduates — spent the fall semester immersed in workshops and practice sessions led by construction industry giants like Whiting Turner, Gilbane, Barton Malow, DPR, Clark Construction, Hourigan, Skanska and Faulconer Construction.
The competition peaked on Nov. 15, with a grueling 12-hour marathon to create polished construction proposals. On Nov. 18, the teams traveled to Greenville, South Carolina, to present their work the following day and compete head-to-head against some of the best programs in the region, including Auburn, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
And the results? Let’s just say UVA crushed it.
1st Place: Commercial Team
Kenneth H. Moffet (MAE), Finn Kelleher (CEE), Anne Mariella Villena (CEE), Emma Weinstein (CEE), Emma Turner (ARH), and Griffin Harrison (CEE). This was the first time UVA competed in the commercial category, and the team knocked it out of the park!
2nd Place: Preconstruction Team
Casey Marraccino (CEE), Amy Privado (CEE), Stephanie Castro (CEE), Dannia Gomez (ARCH), Zubaidah Al Jumaili (CEE) and Jeremiah Castillo (CEE). For the second year in a row, the preconstruction team took second place — an incredible achievement for a program still new to this competition.
None of this would have been possible without the leadership of assistant professor Diana Franco Duran, who spearheads the effort to ensure UVA has a strong presence at the ASC competition. “I make sure we have a team participating and that the consortium is actively involved in the training process,” Franco Duran said. “However, this has truly been a collaborative effort — I couldn’t have achieved this without the support of our coach, Matt O'Malley, faculty advisor, David Gutierrez, and the consortium members.”
Weekly two-hour workshops, hosted by industry consortium members, covered key competition topics and gave students a leg up.
While UVA doesn’t offer a standalone undergraduate degree in Construction Engineering and Management, our CEM concentration within the Civil Engineering program proves to be a powerhouse. Through interdisciplinary coursework, hands-on experiences and strong industry partnerships, our students are gaining the skills they need to excel — and the results speak for themselves.
Here’s to more victories ahead for Cavalier Construction!