March Madness came early to the University of Maryland. While their fellow students were preparing to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference tourney last month, a group of supply chain students from UM took home first prize in the 11th Annual FedEx Freight International Graduate Logistics Case Competition.

Teams from Brigham Young University and Penn State placed second and third, respectively, in the competition, which was sponsored by FedEx Freight in alliance with the Supply Chain Management Research Center at the University of Arkansas's Sam M. Walton College of Business.

During the competition, each of the 12 teams played the role of a consulting firm preparing a supply chain plan for a start-up company in the wind-turbine industry. The teams were given just 24 hours to review the logistics case and draft their recommendations.

Pat Reed, FedEx's executive vice president and chief operating officer, highlighted the educational value of the annual event. "Throughout the world, everincreasing supply chain efficiencies are made possible by dedicated and talented logistics professionals, and we're confident that many of tomorrow's transportation experts participated this weekend," he said in a statement announcing the competition's results.