Purdue Turf Bowl Teams Place in Top Third of Field

Purdue students continue to protect their “turf” among the rise of new competitors at the 17th Annual Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition hosted during the 2011 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Conference and Show in Orlando, FL.

The three-hour competition this year challenged student’s knowledge of more practical concepts of turfgrass management including disease, insect, seed, weed, and turfgrass identification. The competition covers mathematics, plant physiology, plant growth and development, human resource and financial management. Purdue’s performance in the competition over the last nine years has helped to bring additional recognition to the university, college and department. The students placed 2nd, 23rd, 28th, and 33rd out of 88 teams from across the nation. Agronomy student’s Matt Sumpter, Kurt Hockemeyer, Cody Whitis, Chris Sandels, Tony Feitz, C.J. Coy, John Thackery, Peter Kilanowski, Quin Stilwell, Ben Baumer, Lucas Braun, Matt Sliepka, Jeremy Eckes, Jon Conatser, and Kyle Imel represented Purdue at the competition. Despite weekly practices, with two hour-long study sessions starting in September students fell shy of their goal of finishing first but were extremely excited about their strong finish. Purdue once again solidifies its reputation as one of the top schools in the nation.

Students are already looking forward to next year’s competition at the GCSAA Show in Las Vegas, NV and the STMA competition in Long Beach, CA. They have set their sights on placing first and are committed to achieving that goal. The teams would like to acknowledge the financial support they received this year from the Agronomy Department and the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. The teams would also like to thank Dr. Doug Richmond, Ryan Baldwin, Jon Trappe, Tracy Tudor, and their advisor Dr. Cale Bigelow for contributing their time to help educate and prepare the students. Please congratulate the 2011 Turf Bowl Teams on their performance and hard work the next time you see them.

Turf Bowl 2nd Place Team (left to right): Gregg Brenningmeyer (John Deere), Dr. Cale Bigelow, Chris Sandels, Matt Sumpter, Cody Whitis, Kurt Hockemeyer, Tracy Tudor, and James Fitzroy (GCSAA President)

2011 Purdue Collegiate Turf Bowl Participants (front row, left to right): Lucas Braun, Jeremy Eckes, Matt Sliepka, Matt Sumpter, Cody Whitis, Ben Baumer, and Kyle Imel. (Back row, left to right): Chris Sandels, C.J. Coy, Quin Stilwell, Kurt Hockemeyer, John Thackery, Peter Kilanowski, Jon Conatser, and Tony Feitz.