A three-word email message from DECA teacher Eric Peterson sent from Orlando, Fla. Monday morning brought a sense of pride to Oak Harbor administrators and students alike. “They just won!” was all he needed to write.

Oak Harbor High School students Mike Washington, Ben Muyres and Mike Shevchuk were named the 2011 National Champions in the DECA Virtual Business Sports event. The Oak Harbor team beat 16 other competitors from across the United States in a bracket-style tournament.

The Virtual  Business Sports event involved competing in a computer simulation where the student team acquires a professional sports franchise and must make marketing, pricing, personnel and other business decisions trying to turn the biggest profit against its competitors.

During each stage of the competition the boys competed in a 15-minute head-to-head competition against four other teams. In the championship round, the Oak Harbor teammates were in third place until the final three minutes when they made key decisions and moves to vault themselves to an incredible finish and managed to snag the national title. The students brought home a plaque, medals and will receive a $1,000 check from the event sponsors (Knowledge Matters and Safeway).

To qualify for the national competition the team had to earn first place in a local qualifying event in January. During the qualifying rounds they beat more than 40 other teams from Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Nevada.

The team would like to thank businesses that donated funds to help send the team to nationals – Tradewinds Insurance, Collins Fisheries Inc. and Scott Nash D.D.S.