Seven members of the WVU Soils Team were among the 199 participants from 27 schools across the country who recently gathered for the National Collegiate Soils Contest in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
The team again performed well in the contest finishing 8th overall, while JosiLee Scott claimed first place — beating out 105 participants in the individual judging portion of the contest.
Scott is the third WVU student to win the individual contest, and the first since 2016.
The team also included Aubrie Benavidez, Damon LeMaster, Talan Linville, Madelyn Soble, Daisy Stemple and Jaden Wiser from the Davis College School of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The team spent four days practicing for the two-day contest, examining some of the diverse soils and landscapes of central Wisconsin that included mostly sandy soils formed from a variety of glacial parent materials, such as till, outwash and other glaciofluvial sediments.
“I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of all these students,” said James Thompson, professor of soil sciences and land use.
“They continue to build upon the past success of the WVU Soils Team. I believe this speaks to the quality of the training that these students receive from WVU and it also reflects the overall strength of the academic programs across the Davis College.”