CANTON -- The SUNY Canton student steel bridge team once again earned a first-place finish at the 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Upstate New York Student Conference Championships held at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

This is the 14th time in 17 years that SUNY Canton's ASCE student chapter has captured the regional title. This win earns them a spot in the national intercollegiate contest to be held in May at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Co-sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction, the contest challenges future engineers to display their skills in design, fabrication and teamwork by building a one-tenth scale model bridge to meet certain criteria, such as construction speed, lightness and economy.

The team completed the construction in five minutes and 15 seconds and earned first place in the regional event's speed subcategory. The team also placed second in lightness, second in construction economy, and third in structural efficiency.

"This year's bridge is built with speed in mind," said bridge designer and civil and environmental technology major William W. Corbine III from Potsdam. "Our success relies on an efficient design and a cooperative team."

In addition to Corbine, the 2013 steel bridge team includes Nathan A. Archer, an industrial technology major from Canton, and other students.

"The entire SUNY Canton community is extremely proud of the steel bridge team's achievement at the regional competition," said Interim President Carli C. Schiffner. "These talented students are outstanding ambassadors for our school, and we are thrilled that they will be representing SUNY Canton in Seattle."