Senior Patrick Rescsanski, a sports management major, recently participated in the National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship (NCSSC). He is the first student to ever qualify for this event and represent Sacred Heart University, specifically the Welch College of Business & Technology (WCBT).
The NCSSC was held from Feb. 22- 27 in Atlanta at State Farm Arena, which is the home of the Atlanta Hawks.
Contributed by Sam Schelfout, Assistant Professor in Sports Management
Contributed by Sam Schelfout, Assistant Professor in Sports Management
“I’m honestly quite surprised to hear that I’m the first student to compete from Sacred Heart in the NCSSC. I hope with my experience I
can help the school take steps to compete more effectively and frequently, as the competition was an amazing experience. I met so many professionals in the field, and they all were extremely nice,” said Rescsanski.
To qualify for this event, Rescsanski had to attend training sessions and ultimately rank high enough in the virtual round. Rescsanski described the meetings he had in order to perform well at the event.
“I prepared through meetings with my professor, as well as mentors from sports organizations,” Rescsanski said. “There were also mandatory meetings/ training held by the NCSSC to help us prepare and for them to show our case studies; guides for what we were doing and how we would be judged.” Assistant professor of sport management in the WCBT, Sam Schelfhout, informed Rescsanski about the NCSSC and helped prepare him for it.
“As Patrick’s professor for SM- 299 (Sport Sales & Promotion), I had the pleasure of witnessing his journey firsthand. While I had known Patrick from previous courses, his selection to compete in the NCSSC was primarily based on his interest in pursuing a career in sport sales after graduation,” said Schelfhout.
Rescsanski was able to create connections with multiple organizations through this experience including the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia Flyers, and Madison Square Garden Sports. He also had mentors in the sports sales area who were SHU Alumni, helping him prepare for this event, including Jessica Beer from the Philadelphia Flyers, and Dan Tamburro from the Connecticut Sun.
Rescsanski succeeded in the quantum quiz section of the event and eventually made it to the elite eight in that portion.
Schelfhout emphasized the importance of acknowledging Rescsanski’s efforts to find success at the NCSSC.
“It’s essential to highlight Patrick’s exceptional drive and initiative in his pursuit of success. He is inquisitive and creative, and he put a lot of energy into preparing for the competition. As much as we facilitated his journey, Patrick took control of his own destiny and achieved a stellar result,” said Schelfhout.
Students like junior Lazerus Berisha find inspiration in Rescsanski’s experience, hoping to represent Sacred Heart similarly in the future.
“As a sports fan, I see how important it is for the sales team to excel at their jobs. Seeing a fellow Sacred Heart student competing in this event makes you want to compete in something like this in the future and represent our school,” said Berisha.
Rescsanski took not only an accomplishment back home with him but also had the chance to network and connect with people in the workforce. He hopes that the school pays more attention to events like this moving forward.
“There was also a portion of the event that was for interviews, with involved organizations, that had sent some of their sales professionals to be judges. This, along with networking with other competitors, was the most valuable part of the competition by far in my opinion,” Rescsanski said.
“This allowed me to connect with the current workforce as well as the future of the sports sales workforce. I think the school should be investing more into this competition, and I’m going to do my best to advocate for this,” he said.
