WSSA Announces 2024 National Weed Science Contest Award Winners
WSSA and three regional affiliates honor more than 100 students for exceptional weed science acumen
12 September 2024, Colorado: The Northeastern, North Central and Southern affiliates of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) tested 214 students in their weed science skills and expertise this summer. Undergraduate and graduate students from 25
U.S. and Canadian Universities competed in four categories: sprayer calibration; herbicide symptom identification; weed and seed identification; and “farmer problems” where students had to identify and provide solutions for weed control issues that farmers and other weed management practitioners might encounter in the field.
“These competitions test both individual and team weed science talents,” says Greg Dahl, WSSA president. “We are proud both of the knowledge and problem-solving skills that the students demonstrated and of the time, talents and guidance from dedicated volunteers and university
weed scientists who made this contest possible.” Below are the winners from each participating region:
Northeastern Weed Science Society
Graduate Student Winners, Team
- First Place: Virginia Tech, with team members Eli Russell, Navdeep Godara, Juan Romero, and Wyatt Stutzman
- Second Place: Pennsylvania State University with team members Laurel Wellman, Noelle Conners, and Grant Hoffer
- Third Place: Virginia Tech with team members Elisabeth Kitchin, Aaron Tucker, Ava Veith, and Caleb Henderson
Graduate Student Winners, Individual
- First Place: Eli Russel, Virginia Tech
- Second Place: Navdeep Godara, Virginia Tech
- Third Place: Laurel Wellman, Pennsylvania State University
Undergraduate Student Winners, Team
- First Place: University of Guelph with team members Lauren Hoonard, Jillian Hamm, Natalie Medland, and Danielle Vogels
- Second Place: University of Guelph with team members Maggie Durnin, Ben Fluttert, Marissa Jeens, and Sophie Van Den Borre
- Third Place: University of Guelph with team members Colby Older, Karen Reymer, Jillian Ohm, and Max Van Den Borre
Undergraduate Student Winners, Individual
- First Place: Marissa Jeens of the University of Guelph
- Second Place: Ben Fluttert of the University of Guelph
- Third Place: Karen Reymer of the University of Guelph
North Central Weed Science Society
Graduate Student Winners, Team
- First Place: University of Illinois with team members Yudai Takenaka, Alex Lopez, Isabel Werle, and Travis Wilke
- Second Place: Purdue University with team members Jada Davis, Alex Mueth, Hunter Medenwald, and Abigail Norsworthy
- Third Place: University of Minnesota with team members Eric Yu, Navjot Singh, Datta Chiruvelli, and Sithin Mathew
Graduate Student Winners, Team Calibration
- University of Illinois with team members Yudai Takenaka, Travis Wilke, Alex Lopez, and Isabel Werle
Graduate Student Winners, Individual
- First Place: Vipin Kumar, University of Nebraska
- Second Place: Isabel Werle, University of Illinois
- Third Place: Alex Mueth, Purdue University
Graduate Student Winner, Individual Weed ID
- Sithin Mathew, University of Minnesota
Graduate Student Winner, Individual Herbicide Symptomology ID
- Alex Mueth, Purdue University
Graduate Student Winner, Individual Farmer Problem
- Mark Kendall, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Graduate Student Winner, Individual Written Calibration
- Courtney Harle, Iowa State University
Undergraduate Student Winners, Team
- First Place: University of Wisconsin-Madison with team members Sabeel Abuhakmeh, Jacob Roden, Daniel Zhu, and Rianne Wagner
- Second Place: Kansas State University with team members Ashlynn Hartman, Leno Caldieraro, Quinten Bina, and Joaquin Enrria
- Third Place: Iowa State University with team members Alex Coughlin, Emma Davidson, Ephraim Van Zante, and Abe Dieleman
Undergraduate Student Winners, Team Calibration
- North Dakota State University with team members Ethan Mewes, Jenna Larson, and Grace Dinius
Undergraduate Student Winners, Individual
- First Place: Alex Coughlin, Iowa State University
- Second Place: Daniel Zhu, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Third Place: Rianne Wagner, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual Weed ID & Herbicide Symptomology ID
- Alex Coughlin, Iowa State University
Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual Farmer Problem
- Jacob Roden, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual Written Calibration
- Daniel Zhu, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Southern Society of Weed Science
Graduate Student Winners, Team
- First Place: University of Arkansas with team members Jared Smith, Maria Souza, Michael Dodde, and Cory Ketchum
- Second Place: Mississippi State University with team members Tanner King, Alex Mangialardi, Jacob Dodd, and Amy Wilber
- Third Place: Texas A&M University with team members Gustavo Camargo-Silva, Sarah Chu, Purushottam Gyawali, and Kapil Chobbe
Graduate Student Winners, Team Calibration
- Mississippi State University with team members Dalton Whitt, Kayla Broster, Ncomiwe Maphalala, and Alaina Richardson
Graduate Student Winners, Individual
- First Place: Tristen Avent, University of Arkansas
- Second Place: Maria Souza, University of Arkansas
- Third Place: Tanner King, Mississippi State University
Graduate Student Winner, Individual Weed ID
- Gustavo Camargo-Silva – Texas A&M University
Graduate Student Winner, Individual Herbicide Symptomology ID
- Maria Souza, University of Arkansas
Graduate Student Winner, Individual Farmer Problem
- Josh Lee – University of Georgia
Graduate Student Winner, Individual Written Calibration
- Tristen Avent, University of Arkansas
Undergraduate Student Winners, Team
- First Place: University of Tennessee-Martin with team members Maddie Douglas, David Cartwright, Katie Witbeck, and Courtney Higham
- Second Place: Texas A&M with team members Paige Patel, Aliyah Abdur-Razzaquq, and Ainsley Graham
Undergraduate Student Winners, Team Calibration
- University of Tennessee-Martin with team members Maddie Douglas, David Cartwright, Katie Witbeck, and Courtney Higham
Undergraduate Student Winners, Individual
- First Place: Aidan Ross, University of Arkansas
- Second Place: Rhet Baxley, University of Arkansas
- Third Place: Eve Williams, Louisiana State University
Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual Weed ID
- Rhet Baxley, University of Arkansas
Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual Herbicide Symptomology ID
- Aidan Ross, University of Arkansas
Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual Farmer Problem
- Aliyah Abdur-Razzaquq, Texas A&M University
Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual Written Calibration
- Aidan Ross, University of Arkansas
“Congratulations to all the 2024 winners and best wishes to those preparing for the 2025
competitions,” says Dahl. “All those who compete learn to broaden their applied skills in weed science, test and measure their capabilities, and benefit from the opportunity to socialize with and learn from other students and with university and industry weed scientists.”
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