MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State University crops judging team reached another milestone in winning the national championship during competitions in Kansas City and Chicago recently.
By far the most accomplished collegiate crops judging program in the United States, K-State won the fall national title for the 34th time in 102 years – or, put another way, the university has won exactly one-third of the national titles in more than a century of collegiate crop judging competition.
“We all consider it a great honor to be part of this legacy,” said Rachel Cott, the team’s head coach and an assistant professor of agronomy at K-State. “It is incredibly rewarding to see students excel at something and find joy in their success. They put in the hard work; as coaches, we are just facilitators of that work.”
K-State swept the team titles at the American Royal Collegiate Crops contest in Kansas City, and the Chicago Collegiate Crops contest – the two competitions that determine a fall national champion.
Among the top individual finishers:
- Karlie Albright (a senior in agricultural education from Delia, Kansas) placed first in Chicago and second in Kansas City.
- Collin Mills (a senior in agronomy from Gypsum, Kansas) placed third in both events.
- Ella Pachta (a senior in agricultural education from Belleville, Kansas) placed fourth in both events.
“As in past years, this team was motivated by the winning streak that needed to be kept alive and the record of the (K-State) judgers that came before them,” Cott said. “They spent a lot of long hours studying this semester, and our coaching staff was impressed by their dedication to excellence in the midst of heavy class expectations and schedules.”
Cott cited a “culture of excellence” in K-State’s College of Agriculture that also helps to prepare team members for competition.
“Having such a daunting reputation to defend national titles surely helps to recruit and motivate team members, but we ultimately just have truly amazing students here at K-State,” Cott said. “They make our program successful, and we have the resources available to support them in their endeavor each year thanks to our donors, administrators and coaches who care.”
In addition to Albright, Mills and Pachta, this year’s team includes:
- Ashlynn Hartman, senior in agronomy from Pawnee, Nebraska.
- Benton Kerr, junior in agronomy from Manhattan, Kansas.
- Amelia Meng, junior in agronomy from Cheney, Kansas.
- Landon Albrecht, freshman in agronomy from Kipp, Kansas.
- Lilly Coldren, junior in agronomy from Buhler, Kansas.
- Taylor Eckerberg, junior in agronomy from Kearney, Missouri.
Cott’s assistant coaches are Sarah Frye, an academic coordinator in K-State’s Department of Agronomy; and senior Quinten Bina.
The team’s sponsors this year were Channel Seed, Eisele Farms, Kevin and Sue Donnelly, the Kansas Crop Improvement Association, Kansas Wheat Alliance, Kansas Corn, Kansas Wheat, the Kansas Soybean Association, Crop Quest, Diamond T Truck and Trailer, and Corteva Agriscience.
“We are now prepping for our spring season,” Cott said. “We couldn’t do what we do without our donors and supporters. Seeing the public excitement and interest in our contests is always a great experience for the team.”
More information about the team and its record of success is available online from K-State’s Department of Agronomy.