UVU Students Lead Utah With 21 Gold Medals at 2026 State SkillsUSA Championships

If you want to know whether Utah Valley University (UVU) is still a leader in hands-on, career-focused education in Utah, the results from the 2026 SkillsUSA Utah State Championships offer a pretty clear answer.

UVU students earned 21 gold, 15 silver, and two bronze medals at the competition, held March 26-27 in Salt Lake City — more first-place finishes than any other post-secondary institution in the state. The Wolverines tied for the highest overall medal count while leading Utah in gold, sending 21 students and teams to the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Championships in Atlanta this June.

“UVU continues the winning tradition,” said Darin Taylor, UVU’s SkillsUSA director. “These results always speak volumes about the quality of students, faculty, and programs here at UVU.”

The breadth of this year’s gold medal winners reflects just how wide UVU’s hands-on programs run — from culinary arts and cabinetmaking to cybersecurity, robotics, and entrepreneurship. Twenty-one gold medalists across 19 categories will now represent UVU and the state of Utah at nationals June 1-6 in Atlanta, competing against the best career and technical students from across the country.

2026 Gold Medalists Advancing to Nationals

• Architectural Drafting — David Owens (architecture & engineering design)
• Audio Production — Logan Archibald and Ricardo Cerventes (digital media technology)
• Automotive Refinishing Technology — Jordan Proulx (collision repair technology)
• Baking & Pastry Arts — Matthew McDonald (culinary arts)
• Cabinetmaking — Nikolaus Brown (building construction, cabinetry)
• Collision Repair Technology — Cal Bede (collision repair technology)
• Computer Programming — Kenyan Allan (computer science)
• Culinary Arts — Jared Partridge (culinary arts)
• Cybersecurity — Daniel Jardine and Spencer Wright (information systems technology)
• Diesel Equipment Technology — Derrick Laub (diesel equipment technology)
• Digital Cinema Production — Trey Monson and Jackson Stuart (digital media technology)
• Entrepreneurship — Hyrum Gurrola, Kaydn Roberts, Mariela Rojas, and Arawyn Walter (entrepreneurship institute)
• Extemporaneous Speaking — Kohler Wilcox (entrepreneurship institute)
• Interactive Application/Video Game Development — Paul Black and Jayden Wilkins (digital media technology)
• Job Interview — Paige Peterson (entrepreneurship institute)
• Mechatronics — Jackson Godbold and Willard Hurst (technology management)
• Power Equipment Technology — Eric Newman (automotive technology)
• Prepared Speech — Dallas Bateman (civil engineering)
• Related Technical Math — Cristian Raymundo (architecture & engineering Design)
• Restaurant Service — Alexander Sanchez (culinary arts)
• Robotics & Automation Technology — Kyler Ercanbrack and Marcos Zavaleta (technology management)

“At a time when the community often questions whether UVU is still teaching hands-on and technology-based skills, we can confidently say, ‘yes,’” Taylor said. “Our continued success in SkillsUSA allows us to shout from the rooftops that UVU is alive and well when it comes to trades and technologies.”

SkillsUSA competitions are judged by industry professionals and emphasize technical skill, leadership, and professionalism — giving students a real taste of what it means to perform under pressure in front of the people who will one day hire them. Over the last two-plus decades, UVU has consistently been among the top post-secondary institutions in the nation at nationals. This year’s state performance helps the winning streak continue.

If you see one of these students or their faculty mentors in the halls before June, take a moment to congratulate them. They’ve earned it.