Baylor ProSales Takes Another Top Team Finish This Fall

Last week, Baylor University earned the first-place team finish at the 2025 National Team Selling Competition (NTSC), hosted by Indiana University–Bloomington. The event brought together student teams from 24 universities, each representing a health-focused food franchise aiming to sell into a major convenience store chain. The competition challenged students to not only communicate the value of their firm’s offerings but also to strategically influence the buyer’s thinking—encouraging them to reconsider how they optimize square footage in their stores.

Representing Baylor were Ella Kruse, Megan Pautler, Connor Sims, and Blake Wood, all seniors in the Baylor’s Professional Selling (ProSales) program. The team was coached by Dr. Stephanie Mangus, with support from student coaches Tyra Humphreys, Colt Lychner, and Avery McGlothlin. Over two days and multiple rounds of competition—judged by executives from Altria and Nucor—the Baylor team demonstrated exceptional teamwork and strategic insight, ultimately securing the top team finish.

Senior Connor Sims reflected on the experience: “During my NTSC experience, our team was able to come together to maximize each of our individual strengths to be successful. Thanks to Dr. Mangus and our student coaches, we came ready to compete after two weeks of preparation with various buyer cases and personality types that challenged our ability to overcome obstacles that can come up in the selling process. During the competition we were able to work cohesively to discover issues in our buyer’s current situation, then challenge their approach in the following call to bring value and find team success.”

Dr. Mangus, who has coached students in this competition for twelve years, shared her pride in the team’s performance: “This team worked incredibly hard, both leading up to the competition and throughout all three rounds of sales calls. Their efforts were particularly notable between rounds two and three, where the uncertainty of knowing whether they would advance didn’t stop them from preparing as if they would. That preparation paid off—they entered round three calm and well-prepared, ultimately bringing home the win for Baylor. This competition is a powerful training ground for future sales professionals, where preparation and work ethic are key to serving customers well and outperforming competitors.”

The 24 participating universities included Ball State University, Baylor University, Colorado State University, East Carolina University, Florida International University, Indiana State University, Indiana University, Marian University, Michigan State University, Robert Morris University, The Citadel, University of Arizona, University of Central Missouri, University of Kansas, University of Kentucky, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of New Mexico, University of Richmond, University of San Diego, University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, University of Texas-Dallas, Weber State University, and Winona State University.

About the Center for Professional Selling
Dedicated to excellence in sales education and based in the university’s Hankamer School of Business, the Center for Professional Selling is recognized as one of the premier global information resources for the sales profession. For more information on the Center for Professional Selling, visit https://sites.baylor.edu/prosales/.