National Concrete Canoe Championship Claimed by California Polytechnic State University

EVANSVILLE, Ind., June 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After putting their academic and athletic skills to the test in a grueling three-day battle at the American Society of Civil Engineers' 24th annual National Concrete Canoe Competition, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo claimed their second consecutive title following their win in 2010. The school's win came in their 208-pound, oceanic-themed, white and blue canoe, the Cetacea.

Throughout the year, teams of civil engineering students from across the country and Canada logged thousands of hours researching, designing and constructing their concrete canoes in search of the winning combination of creativity, knowledge and teamwork. After coming out on top in regional competitions throughout the spring, the best and brightest from 23 top engineering schools matched wits and skills in the national finals.

The winning team receives a $5000 scholarship and a trophy.  Second place team overall receives a $2500 scholarship and a trophy, and the third-place team receives a $1,500 scholarship and a trophy.

The complete 2011 ranking is:

Rank – School (Canoe Name)
1st – California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
2nd – University of Wisconsin-Madison
3rd – Universite' Laval, Quebec City
4th – California Polytechnic University, Pomona
5th – University of Nevada-Reno
6th – Michigan Technological University
7th – University of California, Berkeley
8th – 'Ecole de technologie superieure, Montreal
9th – Florida Institute of Technology
10th – University of Akron
11th – Clemson University
12th– University of Oklahoma
13th – Fairmont State University
14th – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
15th – University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
16th – Utah State University
17th– Louisiana Tech University
18th – Minnesota State University, Mankato
19th– University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
20th – University of Evansville (races' host)
21st – University of Texas at Austin.
22nd – Washington State University
23rd – Ohio Northern University

The competition is comprised of both academic and athletic events, and the scores are divided into four components which are each worth 25 percent of the team's final score. Students write a paper detailing the design and construction of their canoe and then give an oral presentation on their year-long effort. They are also judged on their final product, the canoe, and their accompanying display, which further explains their design process. Finally, they put their canoe through the paces in a series of five race events—men's and women's slalom/endurance races and men's, women's and co-ed sprint races.

The 25th annual National Concrete Canoe Competition will be held at the University of Nevada-Reno on June 14-16, 2012.  The National Concrete Canoe Competition was made possible by sponsorships from World of Concrete, Baker Concrete Construction, U.S. Silica and DS Solid Works. For more information on the competition, including downloadable, high-resolution photos, race results and event details, visit: www.concretecanoe.asce.org.

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 144,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.

EDITOR'S NOTE: High resolution competition photos available upon request and on AP.

SOURCE American Society of Civil Engineers