BHC wins NACTA Judging Conference for 16th time
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.
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
Black Hawk College team and top individual results
Ag Communications
Team - 4th
Ag Computers Team
Team - 3rd
Agricultural Business Team Members
Melana Followwill
Blair Snyder
Makenna Walker
Emily West
Top individual placing:
6th – Melana Followwill
Agriculture Mechanics Team members
Wyatt Harby
John Hoben
Blake LeFevre
Jesse Wright
Top individual placing:
1st – Blake LeFevre
Crops Team Members
Wyatt Harby
Kayla Vandenburg
Makenna Walker
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
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
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
Sami Fender
Precision Ag Team Members
Wyatt Harby
John Hoben
Blake LeFevre
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
