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Congratulations to the 53 Black Hawk College East Campus students and six coaches for winning the 2025 North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Judging Conference Sweepstakes Award!
This marks the 16th time Black Hawk College has garnered the top prize at the national judging conference. BHC students brought home the Sweepstakes Award in 1981-85, 1989, 2009, 2014, 2016-19 and 2022-24. The contest was not held in 2020 and 2021.
The 2025 NACTA Judging Conference was April 9-12 at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.
The judging conference is open to all two-year and four-year schools that have institutional NACTA membership. The BHC team won by having the highest combined team score for two-year schools.
Winners and Coaches
Thanks and congratulations to the Black Hawk College coaches:
- Dr. Blake Bloomberg – Ag Communications, Dairy Cattle Judging, Livestock Judging and Livestock Management
- Aaron Callahan – Equine Management and Parliamentary Procedure
- Drew Cotton – Agricultural Business
- Janet Johnson – Ag Computers, Knowledge Bowl, Portfolio and Vet Science
- Andrew Larson – Soils
- Cole Wright – Agriculture Mechanics, Crops and Precision Ag
Photo Gallery
Black Hawk College team and top individual results
Ag Communications
Team – 4th
Ag Computers
Team – 3rd
Agricultural Business
Team members – Melana Followwill, Blair Snyder, Makenna Walker and Emily West
Top individual placing:
- 6th – Melana Followwill
Agriculture Mechanics
Team members – Wyatt Harby, John Hoben, Blake LeFevre and Jesse Wright
Top individual placing:
- 1st – Blake LeFevre
Crops
Team members – Wyatt Harby, Kayla Vandenburg, Makenna Walker and Paige Wexell
Dairy Cattle Judging
Team – 2nd
Top individual placings:
- 1st – Kelsey Zepp
- 8th (tie) – Chase Harker
- 8th (tie) – Drew Jacobson
- 10th – Will Hoopes
Equine Management
Team – 1st
Top individual placings:
- 1st – Gabby Olson
- 2nd – Katie Clemens
Horse Judging
Team – 2nd for Black Hawk College B and 3rd for Black Hawk College A
Top 20 individual placings:
- 1st – Grace Hingtgen
- 5th – Talia Pierard
- 8th – Ellie Anderson
- 9th – Enrique Contreras
- 12th – Patrick Royer
- 13th – Katelyn Clemens
- 16th – Aley Rivera
- 19th – Chloe Owens
Knowledge Bowl
Team members – Shelton Biddle, Karsyn Cocanower, Logan Goerks, Wyatt Harby and Olivia Shike
Livestock Judging
Team – 2nd
Top 20 individual placings:
- 1st – Drew Jacobson
- 4th – Amy Geary
- 6th – Olivia Shike
- 8th – Nick Jackson
- 12th – Logan Corzatt
- 13th – Chase Harker
- 14th – Jace Judson
- 15th – Kelsey Zepp
- 16th – Addyson Lehman
- 20th – Wyatt Baxter
Livestock Management
Team – 1st
Top individual placings:
- 1st – Karsyn Cocanower
- 2nd – Olivia Shike
Portfolio
Team members – Lydia Barnett, Grace Cruise, Jenna Doering and Sami Fender
Precision Ag
Team members – Wyatt Harby, John Hoben, Blake LeFevre and Jesse Wright
Soils
Team – 1st
Top individual placings:
- 1st – Shelton Biddle
- 3rd – Rachel DeRyche
- 4th – Luke Nelson
- 7th – Logan Goerks
- 8th – Blair Snyder
- 9th – John Hoben
- 10th – Brik Rediger
Vet Science
Team – 1st
Top individual placings:
- 1st – Grace Cruise
- 2nd – Jenna Doering
- 4th – Lydia Barnett
- 7th – Sami Fender
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