HomePublicationsCSA NewsIssuesCSA News: Volume 65, Issue 5Collegiate soils contest—senior recognition April 22, 2020 Members of soils judging teams from the following schools: (top row) University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Penn State, West Virginia University, Delaware Valley University, (middle row) University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Cal Poly, North Carolina State University, University of Maryland, (bottom row) University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Minnesota, and Texas Tech University. COVID-19 has impacted our communities, caused dramatic closures of campuses, and led to the cancellation of countless events. One such event was the National Collegiate Soils Contest, slated to be hosted by Ohio State University, 19–24 April.Collegiate soil judging has been a regional and national tradition since 1961 and was recently expanded to the international stage. The U.S. is divided into seven regions where students and teams compete locally to qualify for the national contest. Students spend countless months preparing for this contest, beginning with regional qualifying contests in the fall. Teams and coaches from 27 universities (including about 150 students) have spent the past year diligently preparing for the 2020 national contest.To the students who would have competed in Ohio—congratulations! Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to soil judging paid off, and you earned your place in the national contest. Many students have spent several years, if not their entire college career, preparing for the opportunity to shine on the national level. While we know it can't possibly take the place of competing, we want to recognize the teams and seniors (see p. 44) who would have competed in Ohio.A heartfelt thank you goes out to Dr. Brian Slater and his team from Ohio State University who spent more than a year coordinating this contest. Dr. Slater collaborated with soil scientists from USDA-NRCS and the Ohio Department of Agriculture. They excavated 26 soil pits, collected hundreds of samples, and worked tirelessly to accurately describe the soil conditions during the planning process.Not all photos were available at the time of publication. For more photos and to learn more about these outstanding seniors, visit soils.org/undergrads/contests/soils-contests.National Collegiate Soils Contest TeamsThe following teams qualified to compete at the National Collegiate Soils Contest:Region 1Delaware Valley UniversityPenn State UniversityUniversity of DelawareUniversity of MarylandUniversity of Rhode IslandRegion 2Auburn UniversityClemson UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityUniversity of KentuckyUniversity of Tennessee–KnoxvilleWest Virginia UniversityRegion 3Purdue UniversityUniversity of Wisconsin–PlattevilleUniversity of Wisconsin–Stevens PointRegion 4Oklahoma State UniversityTexas A&M UniversityTexas Tech UniversityRegion 5University of MinnesotaUniversity of MissouriUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnRegion 6California Polytechnic State UniversityHumboldt State UniversityNew Mexico State UniversityRegion 7Colorado State UniversityUniversity WyomingUtah State University2020 National Collegiate Soils Contest SeniorsCalifornia Polytechnic State UniversityFreddie MayerJanelle ReyKatie WhiteLillian GrahamClemson UniversityIsabella HillColorado State UniversityAmanda GreenwaltBo CollinsConnor LongHope RaymondLucille RollinsNolan BuntingPaul GadeckiDelaware Valley UniversityDave EdenfieldHeather StellabottJackie HeitzJonathan BruxvoortKaitlin SciosciaMichael EverettHumboldt State UniversityAlex UrbanJeremy GoossensMegan MitchellNic AndersonSean FritzTiffany PerezNorth Carolina State UniversityBetsy MurphyBryce MerickaHeath ClappMikayla GrahamOklahoma State UniversityCortney KeeneyElisabeth HaymakerJohnathan McCaslinMarie MellickMaura ShennanPennsylvania State UniversityDan WesdockLily KilePurdue UniversityRobert ArmstrongTroye HookTexas A&M UniversityAshtyn StufflebeamCody GarciaMarcus RoseNickolas FrisbeeTexas Tech UniversityMariah BatesRebekah OrtizSarah PenningtonUniversity of DelawareLuke MeacciRachel KingRyan SeeleyUniversity of KentuckyJeffery McCallUniversity of MarylandIsabella BrunoJonathan MoyMary GumerovMia GodbeyWade WilliamsYunxuan PeiUniversity of MinnesotaGabe BenitezHarley BraunWill EffertzUniversity of MissouriCole DigginsUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnBryan PetersenRebekah SimmonsUniversity of Rhode IslandAustin PriceBrendan RaineyHannah ChaceLuke EspindolaMatt AntunesWill RyanUniversity of Tennessee–KnoxvilleEli OliverMadelyn WoodSterling McClanahanUniversity of Wisconsin–PlattevilleSamuel PeetzSarah BreuerWrangler JonesUniversity of Wisconsin–Stevens PointAndre DoucetteElla AspensonLaurel DeitchLee NachreinerMaxwell HankardNick RaineyUniversity of WyomingAustin JacobsonMadelyn HaegMatthew RattermanMegan AndersenNoah CheshierRyan BrentzelTaylor BrittWest Virginia UniversityAmos SteadHannah WallsJenna FloydLacey SeckmanShardonay Miller More student articles Back to issue Back to home Text © . The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.Share this: Related articles In memoriam: Michael H. B. Hayes June 18, 2026 Electrical conductivity as a proxy measurement for nitrogen June 18, 2026 The science of the in-between: Why the vadose zone matters June 17, 2026 Recent articles In memoriam: Michael H. B. Hayes June 18, 2026 The science of the in-between: Why the vadose zone matters June 17, 2026 Demo Den: Ready-to-go activities for K-12 audiences and beyond! June 16, 2026