The Kansas State University Meat Animal Evaluation Team won National Champion honors at the 2021 Collegiate Meat Animal Evaluation Contest hosted in Manhattan, Kansas. The team was recognized Tuesday, April 27 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 placed first in the breeding, pork, sheep and market animal divisions of the contest. Individually K-State had four place in the top five overall. Gabri Leone, Fowler, Colorado, was first; Ty Kim, Hartwell, Georgia, second; Wyatt Banks, Cynthiana, Kentucky, third; and Chad Hibdon, Princeton, Kansas, fourth. (See complete individual and team results below.)
“The Meat Animal Evaluation competition is the pinnacle competition for students who have already demonstrated excellence in animal and/or meat evaluation,” says Dr. Mike Day, KSU ASI department head. “The application of principles that are critical across a wide array of segments of the animal and meat industry, and the links to value-based marketing and other economic aspects of the same, emphasizes the comprehensiveness of this capstone experience. Congratulations to our K-State students for their high level of excellence in this competition.”
The team is coached by Dr. Travis O’Quinn and Chris Mullinix.
Team Results:
Champion Team — Breeding Division
Champion Team — Pork Division
Champion Team — Sheep Division
Champion Team — Market Division
Second-Place Team — Meats Division
Second-Place Team — Communications Division
Second-Place Team — Beef Division
Individual Results:
Gabri Leone, Fowler, Colorado – 1st Overall, 6th Beef, 1st Market, 9th Meats, 7th Sheep and 1st Swine
Ty Kim, Hartwell, Georgia — 2nd Overall, 5th Beef, 3rd Breeding, 2nd Market, 4th Sheep and 2nd Swine
Wyatt Banks, Cynthiana, Kentucky — 3rd Overall, 1st Breeding, 6th Market, 3rd Sheep and 3rd Swine
Chad Hibdon, Princeton, Kansas — 4th Overall, 10th Beef, 2nd Breeding, 10th Meats and 5th Swine
Sydney Bowman, Brighton, Colorado – 6th Overall, 8th Beef, 8th Breeding, 7th Market and 1st Sheep
Kaitlin Bell, Nottingham, Pennsylvania– 10th Overall, 7th Beef, 4th Meats and 9th Swine
Ben Jensen, Courtland, Kansas – 3rd Beef
Andrew Anderson, Fort Scott, Kansas – 4th Breeding, 8th Sheep and 7th Swine
Abby Leachman, Townsend, Montana – 9th Breeding and 5th Market
Zane Platter, Gothenburg, Nebraska – 9th Market
Hannah Seymore, Visalia, California – 4th Swine
Mason Engnell, Good Hope, Illinois– 10th Swine
Team Members:
Andrew Anderson, Candy, Kansas
Wyatt Banks, Cynthiana, Kentucky
Kaitlin Bell, Nottingham, Pennsylvania
Sydney Bowman, Brighton, Colorado
Mason Engnell, Good Hope, Illinois
Brandon Fraser, Cochrane, Alberta
Chad Hibdon, Princeton, Kansas
Colton Ivers, Austin, Minnesota
Ben Jensen, Courtland, Kansas
Ty Kim, Hartwell, Georgia
Katherine Krauss, Russell, Kansas
Abby Leachman, Townsend, Montana
Gabri Leone, Fowler, Colorado
Audrey Marchek, Harper, Oregon
Rhett Newby, Caney, Kansas
Zane Platter, Gothenburg, Nebraska
Abby Schiefelbein, Kimball, Minnesota
Hannah Seymore, Visalia, California
Amanda Stock, Troy, Kansas
Morgan Woodbury, Quenemo, Kansas
