Top students honored by Briner School of Business

Published: May 12, 2025

Author: Dave Bell

The Briner School of Business at Greenville University recently held its annual award ceremony to honor outstanding seniors in the class of 2025.

The May 2 ceremony featured the presentation of the Morris “Buddy” Bond Award to Lucia Garcia Barrientos, a senior with a double major in business management and marketing. The award has been presented annually since 2008 in honor of Bond, a former GU business professor. It recognizes academic achievement, leadership abilities, exemplary character, and career potential. A native of Spain, Barrientos competed on the GU volleyball team and has secured an internship with the St. Louis City Soccer team after graduation.

The Buddy Bond Award winner receives a cash prize and is invited to a dinner with Pat Bond, the wife of the late Buddy Bond, and other members of the Bond family.

Also presented at the event were the Watson Tidball Awards for the outstanding senior in each major in the Briner School of Business. Tidball was a longtime professor in the business department. The awards are based on the recipient’s academic achievement, leadership, and positive influence on their classmates and the school.

The Tidball Award winners are:

• Business Management: Kevin Laurino, a native of Las Vegas, NV, who participated in gymnastics.

• Accounting: Cate Cota, a native of Montana, who participated in basketball and was one of 50 Lincoln Laureate winners in Illinois in 2024.

• Marketing: Trent Morgenstern, a native of Pinckneyville, IL, who participated in baseball.

• Agribusiness: Anna Beth Vancil, a native of Campbell, MO, who participated in track and volleyball.