The University of Alabama MBA Case Team reached the finals and took third place at the 2026 SEC MBA Case Competition on March 26-28. The competition was hosted by Texas A&M University and sponsored by Dell. The team had 24 hours to develop a strategy for Dell to apply generative artificial intelligence to enable its services organization.
The UA team of Eric Gumz, Teegan Mathey, Tierra Haywood, and Riley Durbin, each a previous case competition winner, had never competed together before. Their ability to quickly establish trust, leverage complementary strengths and operate as a cohesive unit was exceptional. It resulted in a polished and impactful presentation, culminating in a third-place finish and multiple individual awards.
Haywood won Best Presenter Award while Durbin won Best Q&A Award.