WSSA Unveils 2025 Student Competition Award Winners

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Aug 21, 2025, 08:00 ET

WSSA and three regional affiliates recognize students for exceptional weed science acumen

WESTMINSTER, Colo., Aug. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Northeastern, North Central and Southern affiliates of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) tested more than 250 students on their weed science expertise this summer. Thirteen North Central Universities tested 112 graduate and undergraduate students on 29 teams in four categories: sprayer calibration; herbicide symptom identification; weed and seed identification; and "farmer problems" for which students had to identify and provide solutions to weed-control issues that farmers and other weed management practitioners might encounter in the field. In addition, undergraduate and graduate students from five Northeastern and 15 Southern Universities tested 155 students and 39 teams in similar weed-science category assessments.

Participants from five Universities gathered for a group photo during the 2025 Northeastern Collegiate Weed Science Contest. Photo by Craig Austin.

Twenty-five teams and 104 students competed in the 2025 Southern Weed Science Contest that featured weed-science assessment tests in the field. Photo by Kohlton Barber.

"These competitions are designed to test both individuals and teams on their weed science acumen," says Hilary Sandler, Ph.D., and WSSA president. "We applaud both the knowledge and problem-solving skills that the students demonstrated and the dedication from the volunteers, sponsors and university weed scientists who collaborated to make the contests possible."

Below are the winners from each participating region:

Northeastern Weed Science Society
Graduate Student Winners, Team, Overall

First Place: Penn State University, with Laurel Wellman, Noelle Connors, Grant Hoffer
Second Place: North Carolina State University, with Jackson Alsdorf, Colden Bradshaw, Brock Dean, Kai Goble
Third Place: Virginia Tech University, with Jenna Beville, Wyatt Stutzman, Samuel Crawford, Suzannah Hale

Graduate Student Winners, Individual, Overall

First Place: Laurel Wellman, Penn State University
Second Place: Noelle Connors, Penn State University
Third Place: Akashdeep Singh, Virginia Tech University

Undergraduate Student Winners, Team, Overall

First Place: University of Guelph, with Dani Vogels, Peyton Nailor, Max Van Den Borre, Ben Fluttert
Second Place: Cornell University, with Anas Ashfaq, Breawna Smith, Sky Xu, Jacob Czarnecki
Third Place: University of Guelph, with Colby Older, Jill Hamm, Jill Ohm, Ian Lawton

Undergraduate Student Winners, Individual, Overall

First Place: Kiara Driscoll of the University of Guelph
Second Place: Ben Fluttert of the University of Guelph
Third Place: Dani Vogels of the University of Guelph

North Central Weed Science Society
Graduate Student Winners, Team, Overall

First Place: Purdue University, with Alex Mueth, Jada Davis, Estevan Cason, Maria Souza
Second Place: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with Isabel Werle, Alex Lopez, Travis Wilke, Rishabh Singh
Third Place: Purdue University, with Abigail Norsworthy, Emma Lagerhausen, Grant Isaacs, Jessie Lewis

Graduate Student Winners, Team, Field Calibration

North Dakota State University, with Ethan Mewes, Carson Hought, Jack Roehl, Jace Heiman

Graduate Student Winners, Individual, Overall

First Place: Alex Mueth, Purdue University
Second Place: Maria Souza, Purdue University
Third Place: Jada Davis, Purdue University

Graduate Student Winner, Individual, Weed ID

Alex Lopez, University of Illinois

Graduate Student Winner, Individual, Herbicide Symptomology ID

Alex Mueth, Purdue University

Graduate Student Winner, Individual, Farmer Problem

Jada Davis, Purdue University

Graduate Student Winner, Individual, Written Calibration

Danny Zhu, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Undergraduate Student Winners, Team, Overall

First Place: University of Wisconsin-Madison, with Rianne Wagner, Sabeel Abuhakmeh, Gage Anderson, Brandon Boyd
Second Place: University of Wisconsin-Madison, with Ella Kohler-Washatko, Livia Venturi, Alice Lazzari
Third Place: Kansas State University, with Ashlynn Hartman, Quinten Bina, Coy Stamm, Roam Hoskin

Undergraduate Student Winners, Team, Field Calibration

First Place: Ohio State University, with Sarah Hoak, Michael Grimes, Chloe Hall, John Kohler

Undergraduate Student Winners, Individual, Overall

First Place: Rianne Wagner, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Second Place: Brandon Boyd, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Third Place: Sabeel Abuhakmeh, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Undergraduate Student Winner, Weed ID

Ashlynn Hartman, Kansas State University

Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual, Herbicide Symptomology ID

Brandon Boyd, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual, Farmer Problem

Gage Long, Iowa State University

Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual, Written Calibration

Abe Dieleman, Iowa State University

Southern Weed Science Society
Graduate Student Winners, Team, Overall

First Place: University of Arkansas, with team members Cory Ketchum, Cade Holbrook, Rhet Baxley, Noah Chandler
Second Place: University of Arkansas, with team members Diego Rodriguez, Aidan Ross, Juan Velasquez
Third Place: Mississippi State University, with team members Tanner King, Jacob Dodd, Dalton Whitt, Hunter Lipsey, Alyssa Miller (alternate)

Graduate Student Winners, Team, Calibration

First Place: University of Arkansas, with team members Diego Rodriguez, Aidan Ross, Juan Velasquez
Second Place: University of Arkansas, with team members Cory Ketchum, Cade Holbrook, Rhet Baxley, Noah Chandler
Third Place: Auburn University, with team members Andrew Ahlersmeyer, Joseph Burch, Nisith Nishank, Gurwinder Singh

Graduate Student Winners, Individual, Overall

First Place: Gavin Sparks, Louisiana State University
Second Place: Noah Chandler, University of Arkansas
Third Place: Cade Holbrook, University of Arkansas

Graduate Student Winner, Individual, Weed ID

First Place: Gavin Sparks, Louisiana State University
Second Place: Rhet Baxley, University of Arkansas
Third Place: Diego Rodriguez, University of Arkansas

Graduate Student Winner, Individual, Herbicide Symptomology ID

First Place: Ben Stoker, Louisiana State University
Second Place: Noah Chandler, University of Arkansas
Third Place: Lance Wortman, University of Georgia

Graduate Student Winner, Individual, Farmer Problem

First Place: Jacob Dodd, Mississippi State University
Second Place: Hope Thome, North Carolina State University
Third Place: Lance Wortman, University of Georgia

Graduate Student Winner, Individual, Written Calibration

First Place: Aidan Ross, University of Arkansas
Second Place: Cade Holbrook, University of Arkansas
Third Place: Noah Chandler, University of Arkansas

Undergraduate Student Winners, Team, Overall

First Place: Texas A&M with team members Noel Leprore, Aliyah Abdul-Razzaq, Hunter Kern, Ayden Castillo (alternate)

Undergraduate Student Winners, Individual, Overall

First Place: Haydon Houser, University of Arkansas
Second Place: Avery McMillin, Louisiana State University
Third Place: Paige Patel, Texas A&M University

Undergraduate Student Winners, Individual, Written Calibration

First Place: Haydon Houser, University of Arkansas
Second Place: Ty Shreve, Oklahoma State University
Third Place: Joe Woodruff, University of Florida

Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual, Weed ID

First Place: Avery McMillin, Louisiana State University
Second Place: Haydon Houser, University of Arkansas
Third Place: Morgan Boone, Louisiana State University

Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual, Herbicide Symptomology ID

First Place: Haydon Houser, University of Arkansas
Second Place: Paige Patel, Texas A&M University
Third Place: Avery McMillin, Louisiana State University

Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual, Farmer Problem

First Place: Colton Conrady, Oklahoma State University
Second Place: Haydon Houser, University of Arkansas
Third Place: Paige Patel, Texas A&M University

"Congratulations to all the 2025 winners and all the best to those preparing for the 2026 competitions," says Sandler. "Those who compete will benefit by broadening their applied weed-science skills, gauging their current capabilities, and learning from their teammates, fellow students and from accomplished university and industry weed scientists."

About the Weed Science Society of America
The Weed Science Society of America is a nonprofit scientific society, founded in 1956 to encourage and facilitate the development of knowledge concerning weeds and their impact on the environment. The Society promotes research, education and extension outreach activities related to weeds, provides science-based information to the public and policy makers, fosters awareness of weeds and their impact on managed and natural ecosystems, and strengthens cooperation among weed science organizations across the nation and around the world. For more information, visit www.wssa.net.

SOURCE Weed Science Society of America