Milwaukee Athletics and Northwestern Mutual recently concluded their 10th annual Elevator Pitch competition, an event designed to help student-athletes develop professional pitching skills. The event began with two workshops led by Alex Marchan, Managing Director of Northwestern Mutual North Shore, and Troy Stewart, a Financial Advisor on Marchan’s team. These sessions focused on teaching the importance of delivering effective professional pitches.
Out of 21 student-athletes who attended the workshops, 16 advanced to present their pitches before a panel of five judges earlier this week. Each participant had between 60 and 90 seconds to make an impression on the judges: Marchan, Stewart, Megan Resch (Director of District Operations for Northwestern Mutual North Shore), Adam Ahearn (Senior Associate Director of Athletics for External Relations with Milwaukee Athletics), and Andy Van Sistine (Assistant Director of Academic Services for Milwaukee Athletics).
The panel awarded first place to Noelle Bryan, a junior from Milwaukee’s women’s swimming & diving team. Second place went to Jenna Soerens, a sophomore from Milwaukee’s volleyball team. Emma Duffy, a freshman from the same volleyball team, finished third.
Milwaukee Athletics has collaborated with Northwestern Mutual for ten years on this spring event. “The support from Marchan’s team included resources to conduct workshops with Panther student-athletes, judges for the competition, and incentives for the winners,” according to organizers. Over its decade-long run, more than 170 student-athletes have participated in either the workshops or the competition itself.
The Milwaukee Panthers women’s volleyball team, which includes second- and third-place finishers Soerens and Duffy, is part of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletics and competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Horizon League. The team’s home matches are held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
