Captains: Jessica Eichhorst, Jacob Allen

Team Members: Luke Potthast, Brandon Beckemeyer, Zack Dahmm, Brittnee Radcliffe, Evan Wilson, Anthony Falkowski, Drew Ruholl, William Thorpe, Jordan Atwood, Brandon Johnson, Steven Driscoll and Brandi Jones

Results at the 2012 MidContinent Student Conference at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Third Place – Efficiency, Lightness
Sixth Place – Display, Stiffness
Eighth Place – Overall Performance
Ninth Place - Construction Speed

Results at the 2011 MidContinent Regional Conference at Kansas State University

First Place –Aesthetics, Display
Third Place – Stiffness
Eight Place – Overall Performance

Faculty Advisor:Brad Cross, Ph.D., S.E., P.E.

Results at the 2010 MidContinent Regional Conference at University of Oklahoma

First Place – Stiffness, Aesthetics
Second place – Efficiency
Third Place – Overall Performance, Lightness, Construction Speed

Regional Competition
Going into the Mid-Continent Regional Competition at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the steel bridge team had high hopes for success.  Led by experienced captains Joey Heger, Bryce Whitworth, and Jeff Shepard, the team showed great determination and precise execution, ultimately leading to placing  in the top 3 in each category, and a 3rd place overall finish.  Furthermore, with the 3rd place finish, they had received their first invite to the National Student Steel Bridge Competition since 1997, which would take place at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Nationals Competition
Not knowing what to expect as they entered Nationals, the SIUe Steel Bridge Team performed admirably.  Even though they did not perform as well as they wanted or expected, they still were able to represent SIUe proudly.  More importantly, they learned valuable information from being at the competition that will help future bridge teams, and hopefully pave the way for more successful Nationals appearances. 

The Future

Led by three new captains (Jon Brent, Kyle Friederich, and Josh Allen), and numerous other experienced members (including previous captains Bryce Whitworth and Jeff Shepard), the team set their sights higher, and plans on further representing SIUe proudly.  Ideas are already being passed around and meetings are already in plan for next year’s competition. This year’s design will facilitate construction speed by using fewer members and more efficient connections. By doing so, it will also aid in decreasing overall deflection and weight.   The use of lightweight steel along with the ideas brought back from the National Competition will increase our chances of successfully competing in future competitions.  Furthermore, this looks to be another exciting and insightful year for the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville Steel Bridge Team!

2008 Mid-Continent Regional @ University of Arkansas
2nd place - Display
3rd place - Construction Speed
5th place - Overall, Economy, Stiffness
6th place - Efficiency
7th place - Lightness