Concrete canoe team makes program history with first top-10 finish at national championships

Concrete canoe team makes program history with first top-10 finish at national championships

Kim Chaudoin | 07/17/2026

For the first time in program history, Lipscomb University's Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering concrete canoe team finished among the nation's Top 10, earning a ninth-place overall finish at the 2026 American Society of Civil Engineers Civil Engineering Student Championships.

Competing against 26 regional champion teams from across the United States, Canada, China and India, Lipscomb also earned a third-place finish in the technical presentation competition during the national championships, held June 25-27 at Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia. Approximately 260 universities competed throughout the year for one of just 26 berths in the national championship.

Joining Lipscomb in the Top 10 are Western Kentucky University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Texas A&M University, California Polytechnic State University, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Virginia.

"We're so proud of the team's performance this year at the championships," said Monica Sartain, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering. "We're even more proud of the community they've built around the team with team members working together and supporting each other throughout the year."

The ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition is considered one of civil engineering's premier collegiate competitions, requiring students to design, engineer, build and race a canoe made entirely of concrete. Teams are evaluated across multiple categories, including engineering design, technical communication, construction quality, aesthetics and on-the-water performance. Lipscomb's performance and results across the competition scored events included: Technical Presentation: 3rd, Project Proposal: 13th, Final Product: 16th, Men's Sprint: 7th, Men's Slalom: 7th, Women's Slalom: 12th and Race Points: 8th. Those performances combined to propel Lipscomb into the national Top 10 for the first time in program history.

"This team is such a joy," said Todd Lynn, associate professor and chair of civil engineering. "I am so blessed to have had an opportunity to work with them. I am proud of their accomplishments this year but I am more so very proud of each individual team member's commitment to the team, each other, and to excellence."

The achievement came just weeks after the team captured its fifth consecutive MidSouth Student Symposium championship. Competing against engineering programs from across Tennessee and Arkansas, Lipscomb swept every major category of the regional competition, earning first-place honors in proposal, presentation, final product and races to qualify for nationals.

Representing Lipscomb at the national championships were Alex Aylor-Ibarra ('26), captain; Alisa Rowell, Reece Boyd ('26), Anthony Buckland ('26), Carter Schmidt, Bryan Beasley ('26), Alex Cady ('26), Xavier Guerrero, Alan Aylor-Ibarra, Shannon Abernathy and Kenli Hill.

For Rowell, a rising junior civil engineering major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, who served as co-project manager, the third-place finish in technical presentation carried special significance.

"My biggest role last year was presenting at nationals," said Rowell. "We went eight seconds over time, which put us in last place. To come back this year and earn third place in the presentation with my closest friends while making school history-it feels surreal."

But Rowell said the accomplishment is only part of what makes the team special.

"I joined (the team) out of sheer curiosity because I wondered 'who builds a canoe out of concrete?'" she said. "I stayed because this team became family. My teammates have mentored me, encouraged me and shown me a Christ-like love. They've taught me that there's a higher purpose to engineering, and that's to love."

Rising sophomore Abernathy, a civil engineering major from Nashville, said the experience gave her opportunities she never expected as a first-year student.

"I loved learning from the upperclassmen, applying what we're learning in class to a real project and being part of such a close community," she said.

She said the experience reinforced that engineering is ultimately about serving others.

"Our professors have helped me realize engineering is about much more than getting good grades," she said. "It's about loving and serving people well and using what you've learned to make a real difference."

Schmidt, a rising senior mechanical engineering major from Danville, California, served as the hull design and structural analysis captain and also presented alongside Rowell.

"Watching our work go from a concept to a finished canoe racing on the water is incredibly rewarding," said Schmidt. "But even more than that, it's the friendships and community we've built that make this team so special."

Schmidt said reaching the Top 10 gives the team confidence heading into next season.

"It feels great, especially in my first year as a captain," he said. "Now we know what it takes to compete at this level, and it makes us excited to come back even stronger."

He also credited the engineering faculty for investing deeply in students.

"They're incredibly supportive both for the team and personally," he said. "They're at every weekly meeting, they travel with us across the country to nationals and they're always people I know I can turn to."

Buckland, a 2026 civil engineering graduate from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, served as technology administrator and technical proposal captain while competing in the men's sprint and men's slalom races.

Buckland said the concrete canoe program gave him opportunities to explore engineering in ways the classroom alone could not.

"Joining the team allowed me to explore creative thinking beyond classwork," Buckland said. "I was able to dive into technical reports, innovation and cutting-edge concrete and materials science while learning how to work within a highly collaborative team. That experience helped me grow both intellectually and personally."

More than the engineering experience, Buckland said the relationships built through the program were what he valued most.

"The team became my family," he said. "We developed close relationships and spent time together well beyond the lab."

Buckland believes the team's historic finish reflects the strength of Lipscomb's engineering program.

"Finishing in the Top 10 shows that the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering is producing some of the finest civil engineers in the country," he said. "Our faculty are incredibly talented, and that is reflected in what we've accomplished together. For me personally, this achievement is an opportunity to be a good steward of the gifts God has given me. As a team, we give God the glory for what He has done."

Hill, a rising sophomore from Athens, Tennessee, was the team's only non-engineering major. She is an accounting major in Lipscomb's College of Business. Hill, who has kayaking experience, was asked to join the team by a friend when they were looking for an additional team member. She joined the team helping with casting day and other tasks, and served as a rower for the women's slalom and coed races.

Hill said she was grateful to contribute to the historic finish and appreciated how welcome she felt despite not being an engineering student.

"As a complete stranger who just showed up at regionals ready to row, I understand how Professor Sartain and Dr. Lynn could've felt unsure about me," Hill mused. "But, they happily welcomed me onto the team and treated me just like one of their students. Both are very generous and kind people, and I'm so glad that I was able to meet them."

Hill said she most enjoyed the community aspect of being part of the team.

"Nationals was a very busy and stressful weekend, but seeing everyone show up for each other and even cheering for other teams was what really made it a great time," she said. "Though I just contributed a minor amount to the team's success, I know the hours of hard work some of my fellow teammates dedicated to this. I am so grateful for the experience and proud of Lipscomb's accomplishment."

Learn more about the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering.

- Photos submitted by Monica Sartain