Results from the 2025 Southeast Regional Collegiate Soils Contest

By Matthew C. Ricker, Associate Professor of Pedology/Land Use, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences North Carolina State University

November 6, 2025

Scene from the 2025 Southeast Regional Collegiate Soils Contest. Photo by John Kelley.

North Carolina State University hosted the 2025 Southeast Regional (Region 2) Collegiate Soils Contest from October 6–9 in the Raleigh area. A total of 113 students and coaches representing 12 universities competed in the contest. Check out the photos and results.

Scenes from the contest. Photos courtesy of John Kelley (view all photos).

North Carolina (NC) State University hosted the 2025 Southeast Regional (Region 2) Collegiate Soils Contest from October 6–9 in the Raleigh area. This was the first soil judging contest hosted by NC State University since 2005. The practice sites and contest were held within the Piedmont region of North Carolina and showcased red upland soils formed in colluvium and residuum as well as bottomland alluvial soils. A total of 113 students and coaches representing 12 universities competed in the contest, which also featured 25 volunteers from the Soil Science Society of North Carolina.

The top six schools listed below have punched their ticket to the national soil judging contest, which will also be hosted by NC State University March 22–27, 2026. View the contest photos (including national soil judging practice site photos).

The top six teams qualifying for national soil judging:

Virginia Tech
Auburn University
University of Tennessee–Knoxville
University of Georgia
West Virginia University
University of Kentucky

The top five individuals:

Clara Keener, Auburn University
Callie Goodwin, University of Tennessee–Knoxville
Sinclair Anderson, Virginia Tech
Holden Mrizek, Virginia Tech
Lee Alcorn, Virginia Tech

First place and group photos. — Clockwise from top: first-place individual: Clara Keener, Auburn University; first-place team: Virginia Tech; and group photo of all teams. Photos courtesy of John Kelley.

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