Resilience, teamwork and Mountaineer spirit were on full display as students from the West Virginia University chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers traveled to Old Dominion University to compete in the 2026 ASCE Virginias Symposium.
Story by Emily Handrahan, Storyteller/Writer
Photos by ASCE Team
This year, 37 WVU students traveled to Old Dominion University to compete in the 2026 ASCE Virginias Symposium, earning first place finishes in Surveying, Civil Engineering Problem Solving and GeoWall, along with second place in Water Resources. The Concrete Canoe team also earned the Spirit of the Competition Award, while Logan Decker received the 2026 Stafford E. Thornton Outstanding Senior Award.
Just weeks before competition, the Concrete Canoe team faced a setback that could have ended its season entirely. During the curing process, the canoe fractured after a liner failure caused it to fall and split nearly in half. Instead of giving up, students spent weeks working tirelessly — including through Spring Break — to repair the canoe and make sure it was ready for competition.
For Logan Decker, a senior civil engineering major, the experience showed what can happen when a team refuses to quit on each other.
“Representing WVU and Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources is always a great experience for all of our students,” Decker said. “Getting to display everything we worked on throughout the year to other schools as well as industry professionals is amazing.”
Decker said the team entered the symposium proud of the work every student contributed throughout the year.
“The atmosphere was great!” he said. “Our team showed up with a winning mentality and was proud of all the hard work each and everyone put into their respective teams.”
According to Decker, that success came from a collective effort across the entire organization.
Logan Decker
“Without a doubt it was a collective effort,” Decker said. “We all saw what ASCE could be and really wanted to watch it grow.”
That teamwork was put to the test when the canoe fractured during curing.
“One day after we took the canoe out of the mold we were attempting to move it into our limestone curing bath,” Decker said. “After setting the canoe in the water the liner broke and all the water rushed out and flooded the lab. Because of this, the canoe fell and landed on the ground resulting in it snapping it in half.”
Although the moment was devastating, the team immediately focused on finding a solution instead of walking away.
“The initial reaction was disappointment as we have been working on the canoe for months now,” Decker said. “However, we live by the motto Mountaineers Never Quit and within one day we already had a plan on how to repair it. There was no way that we would have just quit then.”
Students spent countless hours repairing and reinforcing the canoe before competition.
“The entire team worked tirelessly and even worked during Spring Break fixing the fracture,” Decker said.
For Decker, earning the Spirit of the Competition Award reflected more than competition success. It represented the way the team supported each other and others throughout the symposium.
“When 2 of the other schools' canoes broke in the water, our team didn’t hesitate for a second to help them out,” Decker said. “Whether that was assisting in carrying the canoe or supplying duct tape, we tried to help out as much as possible.”
According to Decker, the experience reflected the character of WVU civil engineering students.
“This achievement reflects the character, resilience, and teamwork of WVU’s CEE students,” he said. “Overall, it highlights that WVU CEE students are not only hardworking and competitive, but also collaborative leaders who represent the engineering profession with integrity and respect.”
As captain of the Concrete Canoe team, senior civil engineering major, Vincent Fluharty said the season constantly challenged the group to keep pushing forward.
“Myself and the team were very proud to represent WVU at the 2026 ASCE Virginias Symposium,” Fluharty said. “It was rewarding to showcase the hard work, dedication, and countless hours our team invested throughout the year.”
Fluharty described the atmosphere at the symposium as competitive, but also supportive because every team understood how much work went into the projects.
“There is a strong sense of respect from every team because everyone knows how much work building a canoe takes,” he said.
According to Fluharty, resilience became one of the team’s greatest strengths throughout the season.
“Innovation, resilience, and teamwork made this year's ASCE team successful,” he said. “Students were involved in design, construction, mix development, proposal writing, testing, and many other areas.”
Like the rest of the team, Fluharty vividly remembered the moment the canoe fractured.
“During curing, the liner in our curing tank failed and the canoe dropped violently to the bottom of the tank, causing a major fracture,” Fluharty said. “At first, it was honestly devastating because so much work had already gone into the canoe.”
Still, the team quickly shifted toward problem-solving.
“The team was immediately pretty devastated, but it wasn't long before we started brainstorming ways to repair the canoe,” he said. “We started reaching out to industry professionals and Fairmont State, who were a major help in pointing us in the right direction on the repair.”
Fluharty said watching the repaired canoe successfully complete competition events made all the long hours worth it.
“Seeing the canoe successfully swamp in the water was very rewarding as well,” he said. “The canoe is completely filled with water and submerged; it has to come back up on its own to ensure it floats.”
For Fluharty, receiving the Spirit of the Competition Award validated the perseverance the team showed throughout the year.
“It reflected the attitude, perseverance, and teamwork our group demonstrated throughout the competition,” he said.
The experience also changed the way he views leadership.
“I learned that leadership is less about giving directions and more about supporting the people around you,” Fluharty said. “Staying calm during challenges, listening to teammates, and leading by example were some of the most important lessons I took away from the experience.”
For junior civil engineering major Hayden Lane, who will serve as next year’s Concrete Canoe captain, the symposium demonstrated the grit and determination that define WVU students.
Hayden Lane
“Being able to represent WVU at the Virginia Symposium was a rewarding experience that I am grateful to have had,” Lane said. “Having the opportunity to showcase the gritty and competitive spirit that represents our state, school, and engineering program through the competitions meant a lot to the teams.”
Lane said one of the most memorable moments came during the Concrete Canoe races as teammates rallied around one another.
“One moment that stood out to me was the cheering and chanting from the team during the Concrete Canoe race,” he said. “In real time, we were seeing our efforts paying off while teammates raced down the course.”
He credited the determination of the students as one of the biggest reasons for the team’s success.
“I think the determination of our group of students was the driving factor for our success,” Lane said. “Everyone was dedicated to not just doing their part but also doing more to propel the team forward.”
Lane also described the emotional reaction after the canoe fractured during curing.
“The team was very distraught,” he said. “Emotions ran high, but there was a long silence as everyone processed that about half a year worth of work seemingly went to waste.”
Even so, the team refused to let the setback define the season.
“With no idea of how to quit, the thinking and planning of a solution began nearly immediately,” Lane said.
He credited the leadership and perseverance of the captains and senior members for helping guide the repair process.
“Repairing the canoe wouldn’t have been possible without the knowledge, dedication, and perseverance displayed by the leaders of our team,” he said.
For Lane, earning the Spirit of the Competition Award reflected the unity and resilience the team displayed throughout the season.
“This year’s team really gelled together in a common goal, and we were grateful for the recognition towards our efforts despite the outcomes,” Lane said.
He said the experience demonstrated the mindset that drives WVU civil engineering students to keep pushing forward through adversity.
“WVU’s civil engineering students know no end and will fight with all efforts to achieve our goals and represent this university,” Lane said.