ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA — A team of Winthrop University students earned a spot in the Southern Classic Finals of the 2025-26 CFA Institute Research Challenge, advancing as one of the top five teams competing across Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina.
Representing Winthrop were students Andrew Wheaton, Andrea Samaniego, Ngan Nguyen and Matthew Blanks, under the guidance of faculty advisor Shirley Shen. The CFA Institute Research Challenge is a prestigious global competition that gives students hands-on experience in financial analysis, equity valuation, report writing and professional presentation before panels of finance industry experts.
Of the five finalist teams competing, Kennesaw State University advanced to the next round.
The team's advancement to the Southern Classic Finals marks an important achievement for these students and highlights the strength of Winthrop's experiential learning opportunities in finance. This was Winthrop's third year participating in the competition and its second time advancing to the Southern Classic Finals, Shen said.
"As the faculty advisor, I am incredibly proud of our Winthrop team for their outstanding performance in this year's CFA Institute Research Challenge," said Shen, who is an associate professor of finance. "After months of rigorous financial analysis and equity valuation, they represented the university with professionalism, dedication and excellence at every stage of the competition."
Shen said watching the students grow from the initial research phase to defending their investment thesis before a panel of judges was one of the highlights of the academic year.
The competition experience reflects Winthrop's commitment to high-impact, real-world learning opportunities that prepare students for careers in financial analysis and corporate valuation. She thanked the CFA societies of Atlanta, Alabama and South Carolina, as well as Winthrop’s College of Business and Technology, for their support of the team throughout the competition.
For more information, contact Sheny@winthrop.edu.
