Kalamazoo Times

Western Michigan University's precision flight team, the Sky Broncos, has once again secured the top position at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Region III Championship. This marks their third consecutive victory in this competition. The event took place from October 6-11 at Ohio State University, and the team will now advance to the national contest scheduled for May 12-17 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The Sky Broncos competed against teams from Bowling Green State University, Kent State University, Ohio State University, and Ohio University. They earned points through various flight and ground events where members achieved top ten finishes.

Daniel Souppa was recognized as the competition’s top pilot, maintaining a streak of seven consecutive regional competitions where a WMU student has earned this honor. Coach Nick Olnhausen expressed pride in his team's performance: “I am very proud of the hard work the team put in this season. We had 14 members return from last year, and seeing them build off of their success from last year was very exciting."

Coach Olnhausen also acknowledged significant alumni support: “The team saw significant alumni support both at practice and at competition. I am very thankful for the continued support from the alumni helping me out at practices as well as showing the current team how valuable the connections from the team are down the road.”

Among individual achievements, Chris Balo placed fifth as dropmaster in message drop and ninth in aircraft recognition; Lucas Foster placed second in computer accuracy; Nathan Gute was named seventh top pilot with several other placements; Evan Hoyle was named fifth top pilot among other accolades; Karsten Kotchenruther excelled in multiple categories including first place in computer accuracy; Jerry Lucas placed ninth in simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation (SCAN); Andrew Maciejewski secured third places in two events; Nathan Merrill was named outstanding team member with a fourth-place finish; Shaun Mirr placed ninth in computer accuracy; Naman Mody claimed first as safety observer among others; Tapan Puranik placed tenth in aircraft recognition; Daniel Souppa's multiple wins included being named competition’s top pilot again.

For more information on Western Michigan University's news and events, visit WMU News online.