The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Soils Team has earned a spot at the National Collegiate Soils Contest next year after delivering an outstanding performance at the 68th annual Region III Collegiate Soils Contest. The team secured second place overall at the competition held this month in Bad Axe, Michigan, hosted by Michigan State University. UW-Platteville also excelled in the group judging portion of the contest, earning the highest score across two sites, surpassing Michigan State and Purdue University. This result highlights the team’s collaborative strength and consistency in field evaluations.
"I was very impressed with the group's ability to work together during the group judging portion of the contest, which can sometimes be challenging," said Dr. Chris Baxter, professor of ecological restoration and resource management/soil and crop science in the School of Agriculture. "This group of students did a great job of utilizing each other's strengths and was able to quickly come to consensus when decisions had to be made."
Sixty-two students from nine universities in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio participated. The event involves intensive field study of soils and landscapes and includes both individual and group competitions, which test the contestants’ abilities to accurately describe and scientifically classify soil and landscape features. The contestants also determine limitations of the soil for specific land uses, such as building sites, roads and septic systems based on specific soil properties, and indicate if the soil meets criteria of hydric soils for wetland determinations. Scoring is based on the agreement between the contestant’s descriptions and those of a professional soil scientist serving as the contest official.
The UW-Platteville students earned a team score of 3,203, just behind Purdue University. Individually, UW-Platteville students stood out among the 62 competitors. Sophomore soil and crop science major Jacob Schekel (second) and senior environmental engineering major Andrea Noll (sixth) placed among the top 10 individuals. Other UW-Platteville students participating in the event included senior ecological restoration/soil and crop science major Luke Van Donsel, junior soil and crop science majors Aubrey Jothen and Brock Stringfield, senior ecological restoration/environmental horticulture major Cora Brooks and senior soil and crop science major Alia Meiners.
The team would like to acknowledge support for travel provided by the Segregated University Fees Allocation Commission, the Doug and Jean Buhler Undergraduate Travel Impact Grant and the UW-Platteville Foundation – Soils and Crops Team Endowment Fund. The team is coached by Baxter.
This strong showing qualifies UW-Platteville for the National Collegiate Soils Contest in spring 2026, to be hosted by North Carolina State University.