WSSA Unveils 2025 Student Competition Award Winners

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.

"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.

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SOURCE Weed Science Society of America