Two students in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s nationally recognized automotive technology program recently placed in the top three in automotive service technology in the SkillsUSA Illinois competition.
Ed Walenga, a junior from Frankfort, Illinois, was second, and Steven Komendanchik, a senior from Downers Grove, Illinois, was third. Three other SIU students finished in the top 20 among 60 postsecondary students in the category.
“Having our students compete in SkillsUSA is not only a great experience for them to showcase the knowledge they’ve learned here in the automotive program but to also network with other professionals in the automotive industry,” said Joseph Ragnanese, an assistant professor who worked with the students as an adviser.
SIU has the only automotive technology program in the state that offers a bachelor’s degree. Walenga and Komendanchik said their time in class and previous shop experience prepared them well for competition, which had several career categories.
This is only SIU’s second year in the event, which was April 26-28 in Peoria, Illinois. Other SIU automotive students in the competition were Friederich Owen, 10th place, Eduardo Celaya, 13th, and Sebastian Corona, 20th.
Ragnanese noted that the students “spent a ton of time fundraising” to offset competition costs.
Detailed event
The automotive service technology competition consisted of 20 15-minute stations testing participants’ knowledge in such areas as electrical systems, mechanical gear trains, steering and alignment, various inspection tools, calculating gear ratios and measuring clearances inside manual transmissions, and even mock interviews.
Komendanchik, who graduates on Saturday, May 10, with a bachelor’s degree in automotive service technology and a minor in advanced vehicle systems and diagnostics, said every course in SIU’s automotive program is practice for the competition.
“I think the competition does a good job of incorporating the different aspects of automotive service,” he said. “I wish I could have done a little bit better, but I am still happy to have taken a top three finish. I decided to enter because I love being competitive and the opportunity to do so within my major.”
Komendanchik is moving to Anchorage, Alaska, after graduation for an equipment engineering position with Kiewit Corp. SIU’s program allowed Komendanchik to “prepare for the corporate world while still honing and improving my hands-on skills,” he said. It also opened up international opportunities Komendanchik didn’t’ realized were available in the automotive industry; he was able to study abroad in Japan for automotive engineering.
This wasn’t the first competition for either Walenga or Komendanchik. Walenga competed while attending Joliet Junior College, and Komendanchik finished second last year.
Walenga, who graduates in May 2026, was first introduced to SIU while in high school. After completing his associate degree in automotive technology, he said that earning a bachelor’s degree was attractive “while maintaining my knowledge of being a technician.”
Walenga said he is still deciding on a career path but is “very passionate and interested in entering the industry on the side of diagnostics and engines.”
(Note to editors: Ragnanese is pronounced Rag-an-ese; Komendanchik is pronounced Ko-men-dan-chick, and Walenga is pronounced WA-leng-ga.)
