Three teams from the Wilson Tech Automotive Technology program from the Northport Campus earned the top three spots in this year’s Greater New York Auto Dealers Association (GNYADA) competition, besting more than 25 other teams throughout the state.
Held virtually this year, the competition is a test of skill and knowledge, with a time component that awards scholarships and other prizes to top finishers. In the state-wide contest, secondary students were challenged to complete a 50-question Automotive Service Excellence IASE) test; correctly identify tools; work on an HVAC challenge; diagnose running problems and replace parts using the Virtual Car Diagnostic Simulator; and write a repair order listing the issues and the related repairs.
Assisting the students in their successful preparation for the contest were Automotive Technology instructors Ralph Savarese and Michael Angelino.
The winning teams are as follows:
First Place Team: Hunter Johanson of Smithtown and Ryan Proce of South Huntington, who each were awarded:
- $2,000 Scholarship from GNYADA
- 100% Tuition Scholarship from Automotive Training Center
- $7,500 Scholarship from Lincoln Technical Institute
- $10,000 Scholarship from Ohio Technical College
- $15,000 Scholarship from Universal Technical Institute
Second Place Team: Jake Mayer of Commack and Manahil Ejaz of South Huntington, who each were awarded:
- $1,000 Scholarship from GNYADA
- 100% Tuition Scholarship from Automotive Training Center
- $5,000 Scholarship from Lincoln Technical Institute
- $7,500 Scholarship from Ohio Technical College
- $10,000 Scholarship from Universal Technical Institute
Third Place Team: Christian Colavito of Commack and Dylan Walsh of Elwood, who each were awarded:
- $500 Scholarship from GNYADA
- 50% Tuition Scholarship from Automotive Training Center
- $2,500 Scholarship from Lincoln Technical Institute
- $5,000 Scholarship from Ohio Technical College
- $5,000 Scholarship from Universal Technical Institute
Although they did not place, Andrew Sangiovanni of Harborfields and Liam Wine of Northport each received a $1,500 Scholarship from Lincoln Technical Institute and a $1,000 Scholarship from Ohio Technical College.
