Warrington finance students take home first place at Miami University stock pitch competition
University of Florida Warrington College of Business Master of Science in Finance (MSF) students Nicolas Schull (MSF ’26), Robert Craig (MSF ’26), and Ari Fooksman (MSF ’26) were awarded first place in the 2025 Cleveland Research Company (CRC) Stock Pitch Competition at Miami University, Ohio.
After placing second at the University of Georgia Stock Pitch Competition, the team refined their Lamb Weston pitch, incorporating new feedback and information to address any previous holes or questions in their pitch. With this, they outpaced all other teams during their presentation and shined in a final Q&A face-off.
Warrington’s MSF program equipped the team with advanced skills in financial modeling, strategic scenario analysis and Python-based AI analysis. James G. Richardson Lecturer Jim Parrino’s Investment Banking and Corporate Financial Modeling courses were integral to their success, teaching them to justify every valuation assumption.
“Dr. Parrino’s focus on the ‘why’ behind each assumption and line item helped give us the confidence to defend our Lamb Weston thesis against competitors,” the team said.
Their involvement in the management of the Gator Student Investment Fund’s (GSIF), $1.4 million in assets, was by far the most impactful to their success. As UF’s premier student-run investment fund with a long-standing record of winning national competitions, GSIF provided the team with hands-on experience from the start.
“GSIF’s structure, expectations, and emphasis on excellence continuously pushed us to improve, and those standards carried through to our competition strategy,” they said.
As GSIF leaders, they honed research, financial modeling, and presentation skills, preparing them for CRC’s intense Q&A. Their roles – Schull on financial models, Fooksman on tariffs and international concerns, and Craig on thesis updates and activist developments – leveraged GSIF’s collaborative training.
For Schull, Fooksman, and Craig, the support Warrington provides is unmatched. They believe that the MSF program not only encourages students, but also actively supports their travel, preparation, and strategy. They also note the commitment of faculty to aiding students through review and feedback processes to ensure their success.
“Compared to other schools we’ve spoken with – many of which offer little to no support for these kinds of events – the backing we received from MSF and Warrington was exceptional and a key driver of our success,” the team said.
