5/29/2026
Building off last year's success, the CEE at Illinois Steel Bridge Team competed against 43the team and achieved a record-high 1st place in the Cost Estimate category and 10th place overall at the 2026 National Student Steel Bridge Competition in El Paso, Texas.
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The CEE at Illinois student team also won a first-ever top prize plaque at the 2026 ASCE AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition National Finals in El Paso, Texas.
Written by Melissa Coyne
The ASCE CEE at Illinois Steel Bridge Team is celebrating groundbreaking success at this year’s National Finals, placing tenth overall and bringing home a first-ever first place plaque.
The annual Steel Bridge Competition challenges teams to design and construct a 1:10 scale model of a bridge. Teams are scored on the total overall cost of the bridge, based on materials, builders, barges, and construction time, and evaluated across several categories. Bridge aesthetics are also considered in the final competition results.
This year’s CEE at Illinois team began designing their bridge in fall 2025, led by team President/Captain Daniel Behbahani. Although he graduated in the fall, he still played an important role in this year’s success. CEE student Laurel Decker (BS ’26) took over as captain in the spring, carrying on Behbahani efforts, with both hoping to help build upon last year’s National Finals invitation.
After countless hours of design, fabrication, re-design, refabrication, and construction practice, the team headed to the Western Great Lakes Regional Competition held in St. Paul, Minn., where they achieved second place overall. The team also received two additional accolades at the regional competition including first place in Construction Economy and third place in Construction Speed. Their success earned them an invitation to the National Student Steel Bridge Competition in El Paso, Texas on May 23, marking the ninth national competition since 2016 for the CEE at Illinois Steel Bridge Team.
Illinois was among 43 top schools in North America that were invited to the 2026 Student Steel Bridge National Finals Competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction and American Society of Civil Engineers, and they were poised to complete a record-setting performance.
“Our goal at nationals was to relax, have fun, and trust the work we put in throughout the year, and I think that mindset really showed in our results.”
Lauren Decker (BS '26), CEE at Illinois Steel Bridge Captain
The team received top ten rankings in the categories of Construction Speed, Economy, and a first-ever national plaque for their first-place finish in Cost Estimate. Their stellar performance across multiple categories translated to a 10th place overall, the highest national finish for the team in recent history.
"Receiving our first national plaque and earning a top 10 finish was an incredible accomplishment for the CEE Steel Bridge team,” Decker said. “After coming close last year, achieving 10th overall made all the hard work and dedication feel worth it. Our goal at nationals was to relax, have fun, and trust the work we put in throughout the year, and I think that mindset really showed in our results.”
Decker is now looking ahead to what the future holds for this team, as they continue to raise the bar on their success.
“This achievement means a lot for the future of the team because it sets a new standard and shows what we are capable of accomplishing together. Moving forward, we hope to build on this momentum, continue improving, and remain competitive at the national level.”
And while both Behbahani and Decker have graduated, Decker knows the team is in very capable hands.
“The leadership carrying the team forward is more than capable of building on this success, and I look forward to seeing what they accomplish next."
The CEE at Illinois Steel Bridge team is one of several CEE at Illinois student organizations and one of three ASCE student teams, alongside Concrete Canoe and Sustainable Solutions, that compete in annual competitions.