Search | Menu Madison College students win three championships at SkillsUSA national competition
Madison College students earned three national championships and a national leadership position at the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, the nation's largest showcase of career and technical education.
Twelve Madison College students represented Wisconsin at the national competition, showcasing skills in fields ranging from advanced manufacturing and transportation technologies to cosmetology and culinary arts.
Top competitors
Top Madison College students’ accomplishments included:
• Kaylie Steinhaus, a first-year Cosmetology student, won a national championship (gold medal) in Cosmetology.
• Macha Kapanaiah, a first-year Automotive Technology student, won a national championship (gold medal) in Job Demonstration A.
• James Wondra, a recent Heavy Equipment Technician graduate, won a national championship (gold medal) in Diesel Equipment Technology.
• Lucas Davis, Callaway Deegan and Doug Youmans, first-year Metal Fabrication students, earned a bronze medal and third-place national finish in Welding Fabrication.
• Zoey Mathias, a first-year Metal Fabrication student, placed sixth nationally in Welding Sculpture and was selected as one of only 16 artists worldwide invited to create a sculpture for the inaugural artistic welding exhibition at the FABTECH conference in Las Vegas.
Career-building skills
In addition, Mechanical Design graduate Emma Schwantes was elected as a national SkillsUSA officer, becoming only the second Madison College student to serve in a national leadership role with the organization.
Additional student accomplishments include:
• Alex Niva and Benjamin Linzner- 7th best in the nation (Additive Manufacturing)
• Larissa Salmeron-9th best in the nation (Baking and Pastry Arts)
• Chris Galaviz-12th best in the nation (Automotive Refinishing Technology)
• Jacob Winter competed in Technical Drafting
Excellence in education
Together, these students demonstrated the excellence that defines Madison College and career and technical education in Wisconsin.
"These achievements reflect the talent, dedication and professionalism of our students, who performed at an exceptionally high level under pressure against some of the nation's best competitors," said Madison College Skills USA faculty coordinator Tom Wozniak. “Their success is also a testament to the faculty advisors who invested countless hours mentoring, coaching and refining their skills.”
The annual SkillsUSA Championships bring together the nation's top career and technical education students from 50 states and three territories to demonstrate industry skills aligned with workforce needs and employer expectations.
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