The Kansas State University Meat Animal Evaluation Team won National Champion honors in the 2017 Collegiate Meat Animal Evaluation Contest in Manhattan, Kan. The team was recognized Tuesday, April 4 at the Stanley Stout Center following the three-day competition.
The event, previously known as the AKSARBEN contest, now rotates between host institutions across the country. The competition includes live market animal carcass predictions and pricing, breeding animal evaluation and meat judging competition and truly serves as a capstone judging experience for students with its incorporation of so many industry applicable concepts.
The team first won the market animal, breeding, swine and communication divisions of the contest.
Individually K-State had three place in the top 10 overall. Chase Gleason, Uniontown, Kansas, won the high individual title. Shelby Teague, Fort Morgan, Colorado, plac
ed third overall and Brooke Jensen, Courtland, Kansas, was fourth overall. (See complete individual and team results below.)
“We are proud of our students and coaches for their hard work and accomplishments,” says Ken Odde, K-State Animal Sciences and Industry department head. “This is a challenging contest that not only tests a student’s ability in meat and livestock evaluation, but also requires that they understand pricing, which is particularly important in today’s value-based marketing system.”
The team is coached by Dr. Travis O’Quinn and Chris Mullinix and assisted by graduate students Austin Langemeier and Lauren Prill.
Team Results:
Champion Team – Market Animal Division
Champion Team – Breeding Division
Champion Team – Swine Division
Champion Team — Communications Division
Reserve Champion Team – Meats Division
Reserve Champion Team – Beef Division
Third Place Team – Sheep Division
Individual Results:
Chase Gleason, Uniontown, Kansas – High Individual Overall, 1st Market Animal, 1st Swine, 3rd Breeding, 4th Beef and 5th Meats
Shelby Teague, Fort Morgan, Colorado — 3rd Overall, 1st Beef, 3rd Market Animal, 4th Meats, 7th Swine and 8th Breeding
Brooke Jensen, Courtland, Kansas — 4th Overall, 1st Breeding, 5th Beef, 9th Meats, 9th Swine and 10th Sheep
Jessie Vallejo, Gridley, California — 7th Breeding
Matt Marion, Terre Haute, Indiana — 10th Breeding
Lauren Ivy, Montpelier, Virginia — 10th Swine
Members of the National Champion Meat Animal Evaluation Team from Kansas State University pictured above (seated, l to r) are: Shelby Teague, Fort Morgan, Colorado; Brooke Jensen, Courtland, Kansas; Lauren Ivey, Montpelier, Virginia; Leah Scholz, Lancaster, Kansas; Emily Voris, Atwater, California; and Maggie Smith, Lewistown, Illinois. Back row (standing, l to r) are: Chris Mullinix, Manhattan, Kan., coach; Lauren Prill, Wichita, Kan., assistant coach; Jessie Vallejo, Gridley, California; Matt Marion, Terre Haute, Indiana; Dakota Ferguson, Williamsburg, Kansas; Austin Matheny, Mayslick, Kentucky; Callahan Grund, Wallace, Kansas; Trevor Birky, Strang, Nebraska; Cole Renner, Norton, Kansas; Jake Wagner, Erie, Colorado; Chase Gleason, Uniontown, Kansas; Ken Odde, Manhattan, Kan., ASI department head; and Travis O’Quinn, Manhattan, Kan., coach; and Austin Langemeier, Manhattan, Kan., assistant coach.