PricewaterhouseCoopers Announces National Winners of xTREME Games

NEW YORK, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) today announced that teams from the University of Illinois and Arizona State University have won national titles in the firm's 8th Annual xTREME Games, a nationwide competition that uses real-world business challenges to test the critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills of thousands of the best undergraduate accounting students from schools across the country.  The program's broader goal is to help prepare students for potential careers in the accounting profession.

Beginning last fall, more than 4,400 students at nearly 80 schools nationwide competed in five-person teams for bragging rights, a share of $150,000 in prize money and the opportunity to represent their schools at the national finals in two categories: xTAX, short for "Extreme Tax," and xACT, short for "Extreme Accounting."  Both are case competitions that expose students to real tax and accounting scenarios, respectively, though they hold separate five-team finals.  Each finalist team is awarded $10,000 and an additional $5,000 is given to their faculty advisors.

The University of Illinois team, composed of Ben Sanchez, David Robb, Peter Van Eck, Grant Stoffle, JingJing Li and their faculty advisor John Hedeman, bested teams from Providence College, Syracuse University, the University of Connecticut and Villanova University to win the xACT title and its top prize, the Montgomery Award.  It was the second consecutive year that a team from the University of Illinois won the title, and the third consecutive year that a team from the school has made the national final. All five teams earned all-expenses paid trips to New York for the event, held Jan. 21-22, by first winning xACT campus competitions and then being selected by PwC as finalists from a pool of the winning campus teams.  

Meanwhile, the Arizona State University team, composed of Jordan Hall, Taylor Hall, Jonathan Snyder, Jenna Seifert, Lucas McHenry and their Faculty Advisor Glenda Levendowski, bested teams from Baylor University, the Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Florida to take the top prize in the xTAX final, the Hamilton Award.  Similar to xACT, the five teams earned all-expenses paid trips to Washington, DC for the event, held Jan. 28-29, by first winning xTAX campus competitions and then being selected as finalists from among the campus-level winners.

"The presentations we saw this year really raised the bar for future competitions," said Valerie Wieman, national xACT partner champion at PricewaterhouseCoopers. "We were impressed not only by the quality of their solutions and insights, but also the enthusiasm and professionalism that each team brought to its presentation.  It bodes well for the future of our profession."

xTREME Games is part of PwC's larger and ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility and youth education.  As one of the nation's largest employers of college graduates, PwC collaborates with schools across the country to provide meaningful, relevant learning programs and opportunities to ensure that students are well prepared to enter the accounting profession.

"The experience these students gained by competing in the xTREME games is a wonderful complement to their academic studies," said Christina Fitzpatrick, national campus sourcing programs leader.  "It provides an inside look at the interesting challenges and issues we face daily in public accounting, at a time when many of the participants are beginning to consider the profession for their full-time careers.  By furthering their presentation, teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving skills, the finalists are better prepared for the competitive job environment that awaits."

Created by PwC in 2002, the xTREME Games have grown steadily to include more than 2,500 teams and 13,000 participants from nearly 80 schools.  PricewaterhouseCoopers has awarded approximately $1.5 million in total prize money to students since xTREME began.  More information about the program can be found at www.pwc.com/xtreme.

PricewaterhouseCoopers has a history of investing in education and talent development.  For the past three years, PwC has been ranked No. 1 in Training magazine's "Training Top 125" annual ranking of organizations that excel at employee training and development.  PwC has also consistently been named to such lists as FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and BusinessWeek's "Best Internships" and "Best Places to Launch a Career."

About PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 163,000 people in 151 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

"PricewaterhouseCoopers" refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity. © 2010 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved.

SOURCE PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP