Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Cyclones are National Champions, AGAIN!

The ISU Cyclones WIN the GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowl Championship, for the 3rd year in a row and for 12 of the last 14 competitions!  That is one tremendous streak!  We have come to expect no less of our 'clones, which I'm sure significantly ups the stress levels for our guys and the determination of the opponents.  Here's the scoop......

The 2012 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show was held last week in Las Vegas, Nevada. A group of students from Iowa State University went “all in” and brought home the 2012 Collegiate Turf Bowl Championship. Shane Lohman, Senior from New Haven, Missouri; Isaac Mertz, Senior from Perry, Iowa; Casey Sheehy, Junior from Perry Iowa; and Dan Strey, Senior from Cherry Valley, Illinois formed the winning team from Iowa State. Graduate research assistant, Nick Dunlap, coached the teams from Iowa State.

The Turf Bowl consists of a 3 ½ hour test which includes a case study question and sections covering plant identification, growth and development, soil and soil fertility, weed identification and control, entomology, pathology, mathematics, irrigation, water, and business management. The test is facilitated by Leah Brilman, Ph.D., of the Turfgrass Breeders Association and Gwen Stahnke, Ph.D., who update and modify the exam each year.

The Turf Bowl Competition was again sponsored by John Deere Golf which awards a total of $10,000 in cash and prizes. The first place team receives $4,000 along with the traveling Turf Bowl trophy. This year’s competition had 87 teams participating from 44 colleges and universities across the country.

Here’s a rundown of the top 10 placing schools from the 2012 contest.

1. Iowa State University
2. University of Massachusetts-Amherst
3. University of Maryland
4. University of Wisconsin-Madison
5. University of Arkansas
6. Purdue University
7. University of Maryland
8. University of Connecticut
9. Purdue University
10. Penn State University



From left to right: Stephen Vincent, John Deere Golf; Nick Christians, Iowa State University; Nick Dunlap, Turf Bowl Coach; Dan Strey; Shane Lohman; Casey Sheehy; Isaac Mertz; and Robert Randquist, CGCS.

Thank you to Marcus Jones for all the information!
These guys certainly have a wealth of knowledge and experience that will benefit the golf industry in many ways in the future.

George

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