PLAINVIEW, TX (WBU) – A team of Wayland Baptist University online students has reached the pinnacle of global competition in the Business Strategy Game (BSG), finishing among just eight teams worldwide ranked No. 1.<\/p>\n
The achievement came against a field of 5,055 teams from universities around the world, placing Wayland students among the elite performers in one of business education\u2019s most competitive simulations.<\/p>\n
Wayland\u2019s team, competing under the company name \u201cDynamic Sole,\u201d earned a perfect overall score of 110.0 during the final week of competition, tying for the best performance in the world. The team also posted an earnings per share of $22.38, ranking 43rd globally for the week, and a stock price of $599.24, ranking 29th worldwide.<\/p>\n
The co-managers of Dynamic Sole \u2014 Joshua Sylliaasen, Darius Steen-Jones and Laura Villarreal \u2014 demonstrated exceptional balance across all major business performance categories, a key factor in their top finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis kind of performance reflects not only strong individual ability, but a well-rounded understanding of how all aspects of a business work together,\u201d said Leon Chickering, adjunct professor of business who coached the team. \u201cThey were highly engaged, consistently strong across the board, and you could see early on they had the potential to rise to the top.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Business Strategy Game is a rigorous, multi-week simulation that places student teams in charge of a virtual global athletic footwear company. Participants must make strategic decisions in areas such as marketing, finance, production and corporate responsibility while competing against teams from universities around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis simulation brings tremendous value to the academic experience,\u201d Chickering said. \u201cIt allows students to take risks, make decisions, and see the results in a way that simply isn\u2019t possible through textbooks alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sylliaasen, an Economics\/Finance major from Austin who plans to pursue a career as a financial analyst, said the experience sharpened both strategic thinking and competitive awareness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe BSG game shows you the various workings of a business and forces you to estimate how your fellow classmates will act so you can plan accordingly, designing a better business model,\u201d Sylliaasen said.<\/p>\n
Wayland\u2019s continued success in the BSG competition builds on a growing tradition of excellence within the School of Business. In recent years, teams coached by Dr. Jason Geesey have consistently ranked among the top performers globally, including multiple No. 1 finishes.<\/p>\n
Although Dr. Geesey, now dean of the School of Business, transitioned into his new leadership role this year, he remains closely connected to the program\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
\u201cWayland students continue to demonstrate that they can compete \u2014 and win \u2014 on a global stage,\u201d Geesey said. \u201cThis level of achievement speaks to their work ethic, their strategic mindset and the strength of our business program.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s accomplishment is particularly notable as it marks the second time a top-ranked Wayland team has come from the university\u2019s online program, reinforcing the strength and effectiveness of Wayland\u2019s online business education.<\/p>\n
Chickering, who at age 82 stepped into the coaching role, credited both the students and the foundation built by Geesey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI give a lot of credit to Dr. Geesey,\u201d Chickering said. \u201cHe\u2019s been instrumental in developing this approach, and I was honored to step in and work with these students. Their success reflects the quality of instruction and the strength of the program as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each week, BSG organizers compile Global Top 100 rankings based on overall score, earnings per share, return on equity and stock price, highlighting the best-performing teams worldwide. Wayland\u2019s Dynamic Sole team not only earned a place among those elite performers but finished at the very top.<\/p>\n
The achievement further solidifies Wayland\u2019s reputation as a leader in applied business education, equipping students with real-world experience that prepares them for immediate success in the marketplace.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 KCBD. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PLAINVIEW, TX (WBU) – A team of Wayland Baptist University online students has reached the pinnacle of global…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-210621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}