ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University College of Business investment students won the inaugural Stock Market Game MAC Challenge this fall by defeating students from Kent State University. The Securities Industry Foundation for Economic Education created the competition in order to foster a better understanding of the American economic system and the role of the securities industries.

Under the direction of Ohio University Associate Professor of Finance Natalie Chieffe, 70 Ohio University students watched their investments grow to a winning average of $120,973 per team. Kent State finished with an average of $104,868.82 per team.

The Ohio University students were divided into 14 teams for 10 weeks last fall. Each team invested a hypothetical $100,000 in Nasdaq, Amex and NYSE-listed common stocks after researching the companies, and then followed them in the news and made decisions to buy, sell or hold the stocks.

Ohio University's top team of Porscha Donahue of Lancaster, Ohio; Ted Clark of Wooster, Ohio; Evan Ballmann of Kettering, Ohio; Joe Boyer of Columbus, Ohio; and Aaron O'Leary of Mingo Junction, Ohio, invested heavily in the wireless telecommunications industry and saw their portfolio expand to $205,259.

"This was the students' first investments class and most of them had little prior experience with securities," Chieffe said. "I'm very proud of their hard work and dedication."