Last week, we hosted our 2026 Data Challenge Final Event. This year’s theme was sports data as part of a collaboration with the Texas A&M Collaborative for Sport Data Science (CSDS). Over the last seven weeks, teams of undergraduate and graduate students worked to create data visualizations that told a story using data from past NFL drafts. In total, we awarded $9,000 in prize money. These students did an outstanding job and truly embodied the TAMIDS mission of interdisciplinary research and collaboration. Below are the winners from the graduate division, undergraduate division, and Special Team Prizes category.
Graduate Division
First Place ($2,000): KNSM Krushers
Ben Doyle (Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management)
John Tebbetts (Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management)
Second Place ($1,000): Losers
Abdullah Elsheikh (Department of Chemical Engineering)
Mohammad Elkady (Department of Chemical Engineering)
Also received “Best Presentation Design” ($500)
Third Place ($500): Fishbowl
Owen Schillaci (Department of Computer Science and Engineering)
Sahil Vartak (Department of Computer Science and Engineering)
Keegan Smith (Department of Computer Science and Engineering)
Undergraduate Division
First Place ($2,000): Overfitters
Tejas Tadikonda (Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Vedh Jaishankar (Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Pranav Shidlaghatta (Department of Computer Science and Engineering)
Rayan Mohammed (Department of Computer Science and Engineering)
Also received “Best Supplementary Materials” ($500)
Second Place ($1,000): Ball IQ
Kavin Nainar (Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution)
Jaiathithya Karthikeyan (Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution)
Prayag Peram (Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering)
Also received “Best Presentation Design” ($500)
Third Place ($500): The Good Sports
Neil Aylor (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Kamalika Bose (Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution)
“Best Use of Additional Data” ($500)
Madeline Shah (Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Owen Maxfield (Department of Economics)
Each year we host this themed data challenge, we are always impressed by the creativity and dedication of these students. Over the past seven weeks, these teams have demonstrated remarkable technical and communication skills, culminating in last week’s presentations. Thank you to all the students who participated, and we hope we see you again next year!
A special thanks to our organizers and judges. We would not have pulled this off without you!
- Dr. Nick Duffield, TAMIDS
- Dr. Jian Tao, TAMIDS
- Dr. Hadi Salman, TAMIDS
- Dr. Toryn Schafer, Department of Statistics
- Dr. Jonathan Jensen, CSDS
- Drew Casey, TAMIDS
- Dr. Steve Reichman, Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management
- Dr. Darren Homrighausen, Department of Statistics
- Angie Rollins, TAMIDS
- Angela Guerra, TAMIDS