Texas A&M University judging teams claim national titles
Horse judging team claims second consecutive national title, meat judging team finishes season as reserve champions
Two competitive teams in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science finished the 2024 judging season with national and reserve national championship titles.
The Texas A&M Horse Judging Team claimed the 2024 national championship at the American Quarter Horse Association, AQHA, World Championship Show Collegiate Horse Judging Contest in Oklahoma City. This marks the second consecutive year a Texas A&M team won the national title.
The Texas A&M Meat Judging Team secured the 2024 reserve national championship title at the American Meat Science Association, AMSA, International Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest in Dakota City, Nebraska.
“The department is proud of the incredible accomplishments made by the horse and meat judging teams,” said Clay Mathis, Ph.D., professor and head of the Department of Animal Science. “The team members and coaches are continuing the tradition of excellence instilled in the department’s judging team program, and their dedication and commitment are truly commendable.”
Horse judging team sweeps national contest, individuals rise to the top
The horse judging team’s decisive win was secured by a 59-point margin, with a sweep in all four divisions of halter, performance, reasons and overall. Across the three categories, eight team members placed in the top 10 individual overall.
In the high individual overall category, three Texas A&M team members tied for first place and the overall winner was decided by a tiebreaker in the reasons category. Texas A&M team members led the individual category from first through fifth individual placings, with seven students placing in the top 10 overall.
Individual placings:
- Brianna Bongard, Middletown, Maryland: high overall, fourth halter, third reasons, eighth performance.
- Hannah Vierling, Castroville: reserve high overall, sixth reasons, first performance.
- Evyn Barnes, Cypress: third high overall, seventh halter, seventh reasons, fourth performance.
- Gabby Shultz, Aledo: fourth high overall, 10th reasons, second performance.
- A.J. Kendrick, Shallowater: fifth high overall, second halter, second reasons, ninth performance.
- Rachel Kuhlman, Mason, Ohio: ninth high overall, fifth performance.
- Elena Betteridge, Aubrey: 10th high overall, fifth halter.
Other team members include Matthew Hager, Rowlett; Cassie Hiles, Spring; Dalton Regehr, Tonganoxie, Kansas; Melani Chojnacki, Hockley, and Anelise Wilson, Haslet.
“The team’s success as competitors at the world show and throughout the season speaks volumes,” said Sarah Schobert, horse judging team coach and equine lecturer in the Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station. “Yet, what truly sets them apart is their character. Watching them grow into gritty, resilient individuals with a deep passion for our field has been incredibly rewarding.”
Megan Miller, an animal science graduate student and assistant coach from Boerne, also praised the team’s character and drive.
“I feel incredibly fortunate for the privilege of guiding such a talented and driven group,” Miller said. “They set an exceptionally high standard for future teams, demonstrating competitive excellence while embodying the Aggie Core Values.”
The world show marked the end of the judging careers for the nine team members who made up the championship team, which is in the senior division. Throughout the 2024 season, members in the limited division also competed at contests with the senior team. The limited team members will move up to the senior division and begin the 2025 season in February at the Reined Cow Horse Judging Contest at the National Reined Cow Horse Association Show in Fort Worth.
Meat judging team finishes the season strong
The meat judging team claimed the reserve national champion title after placing first in lamb, fifth in pork, third in beef grading, first in specs with a perfect score of 400, third in beef and third in reasons.
Individually, Dillon Prokop, Llano, claimed the high individual overall title. Prokop and teammate Kyla Beck, Seguin, were also named to the AMSA All-American Teams, which are selected based on the combination of a student’s individual contest results over the 2024 meat judging season and their academic performance. Two All-American Teams are formed with four students selected from over 90 meat-judging students.
Individual results:
- Prokop: high individual overall, first total beef, first specs, first beef grading, second beef judging, fourth pork, second placing, fifth reasons, All-American First Team.
- Beck: third lamb, second specs, fourth reasons, All-American Second Team.
- Madeline Luedke, College Station: fifth specs.
Top 10 high individual alternate results:
- Maddie Unruh, Peyton, Colorado: fourth.
- Logann Weidenfeller, Boerne: fifth.
- Gavin Kubala, Schulenberg: eighth.
- Trey Hoffmann, New Braunfels: ninth.
- Tate Lane, Pineland: 10th.
Lane received the Rachel Hamilton Spirit Award, an honor selected by each team to recognize a fellow team member who they believe is the heart of the team and embodies the spirit of meat judging at Texas A&M.
Other team members include Nathan Kerth, College Station; Tanner Owen, Canyon; Landon Southern, Sinton; Shelby Pieniazek, Adkins; Connor Pence, Mereta; Maggie DeLaCerda, Denton; Avery Flanagan, Ballinger and Karson Kurtz, Boerne.
The team finished the season with many accomplishments that highlighted a successful year. They won five of the eight contests, with four of those wins earning them an undefeated spring season. Four different students were also named as high individuals overall at six contests, and four students earned the high individual overall alternate. All 16 team members were recognized throughout the year for their individual achievements.
“I am most proud of the resilience and dedication these students showed to meat judging, class work and leadership responsibilities over the year,” said Jennifer Wyle, meat judging team coordinator and lecturer in the Department of Animal Science, Bryan-College Station. “They are a truly remarkable group of students and were part of something special.”
According to Lauren Lee, meat judging team coach and doctoral student in the Department of Animal Science from Hamilton, the team’s work ethic was a shining point throughout the entire season.
“Their success was due to the team chemistry and their willingness to work hard for each other all season,” Lee said. “This group of students went above and beyond to make the most of their experience and rarely complained about the long hours.”
While the international contest concluded the judging season for the 2024 team members, practices are underway for the 2025 meat judging team, which will consist of 19 students led by Gage Walsh, Santa Fe, a master’s student in the Department of Animal Science. The season will kick off in January at the National Western in Honor of R. Paul Clayton Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest held in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show in Denver.
