K-State has six place in top 10.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State University Meat Animal Evaluation Team won National Champion honors at the 2021 Collegiate Meat Animal Evaluation Contest hosted in Manhattan, Kansas. The team was recognized Tuesday, April 27 following the three-day competition.

The event, previously known as the AKSARBEN contest, now rotates between host institutions across the country. The competition includes live market animal carcass predictions and pricing, breeding animal evaluation and meat judging competition and truly serves as a capstone judging experience for students with its incorporation of so many industry applicable concepts.  

The team placed first in the breeding, pork, sheep and market animal divisions of the contest. Individually K-State had four place in the top five overall. Gabri Leone, Fowler, Colorado, was first; Ty Kim, Hartwell, Georgia, second; Wyatt Banks, Cynthiana, Kentucky, third; and Chad Hibdon, Princeton, Kansas, fourth. (See complete individual and team results below.)

“The Meat Animal Evaluation competition is the pinnacle competition for students who have already demonstrated excellence in animal and/or meat evaluation,” says Dr. Mike Day, KSU ASI department head. “The application of principles that are critical across a wide array of segments of the animal and meat industry, and the links to value-based marketing and other economic aspects of the same, emphasizes the comprehensiveness of this capstone experience. Congratulations to our K-State students for their high level of excellence in this competition.”

The team is coached by Dr. Travis O’Quinn and Chris Mullinix.

Team Results:

Champion Team — Breeding Division

Champion Team — Pork Division

Champion Team — Sheep Division

Champion Team — Market Division

Second-Place Team — Meats Division 

Second-Place Team — Communications Division 

Second-Place Team — Beef Division

Individual Results:

Gabri Leone, Fowler, Colorado – 1st Overall, 6th Beef, 1st Market, 9th Meats, 7th Sheep and 1st Swine    

Ty Kim, Hartwell, Georgia — 2nd Overall, 5th Beef, 3rd Breeding, 2nd Market, 4th Sheep and 2nd Swine    

Wyatt Banks, Cynthiana, Kentucky — 3rd Overall, 1st Breeding, 6th Market, 3rd Sheep and 3rd Swine   

Chad Hibdon, Princeton, Kansas — 4th Overall, 10th Beef, 2nd Breeding, 10th Meats and 5th Swine 

Sydney Bowman, Brighton, Colorado – 6th Overall, 8th Beef, 8th Breeding, 7th Market and 1st Sheep   

Kaitlin Bell, Nottingham, Pennsylvania– 10th Overall, 7th Beef, 4th Meats and 9th Swine 

Ben Jensen, Courtland, Kansas – 3rd Beef

Andrew Anderson, Fort Scott, Kansas – 4th Breeding, 8th Sheep and 7th Swine  

Abby Leachman, Townsend, Montana – 9th Breeding and 5th Market  

Zane Platter, Gothenburg, Nebraska – 9th Market 

Hannah Seymore, Visalia, California – 4th Swine 

Mason Engnell, Good Hope, Illinois– 10th Swine 

Team Members:

Andrew Anderson, Candy, Kansas

Wyatt Banks, Cynthiana, Kentucky 

Kaitlin Bell, Nottingham, Pennsylvania  

Sydney Bowman, Brighton, Colorado 

Mason Engnell, Good Hope, Illinois 

Brandon Fraser, Cochrane, Alberta 

Chad Hibdon, Princeton, Kansas 

Colton Ivers, Austin, Minnesota  

Ben Jensen, Courtland, Kansas 

Ty Kim, Hartwell, Georgia   

Katherine Krauss, Russell, Kansas

Abby Leachman, Townsend, Montana 

Gabri Leone, Fowler, Colorado 

Audrey Marchek, Harper, Oregon

Rhett Newby, Caney, Kansas 

Zane Platter, Gothenburg, Nebraska 

Abby Schiefelbein, Kimball, Minnesota  

Hannah Seymore, Visalia, California  

Amanda Stock, Troy, Kansas  

Morgan Woodbury, Quenemo, Kansas  

Members of the National Champion Meat Animal Evaluation Team from Kansas State University pictured above (back row, l to r) are: Chris Mullinix, Manhattan, Kan., coach; Ty Kim, Hartwell, Georgia; Brandon Fraser, Cochrane, Alberta; Wyatt Banks, Cynthiana, Kentucky; Zane Platter, Gothenburg, Nebraska; Colton Ivers, Austin, Minnesot; Chad Hibdon, Princeton, Kansas; Ben Jensen, Courtland, Kansas; Andrew Anderson, Candy, Kansas; Rhett Newby, Caney, Kansas; and Mason Engnell, Good Hope, Illinois. Front row (l to r) are: Audrey Marchek, Harper, Oregon; Kaitlin Bell, Nottingham, Pennsylvania; Sydney Bowman, Brighton, Colorado; Gabriel Leone, Fowler, Colorado; Amanda Stock, Troy, Kansas; Abby Schiefelbein, Kimball, Minnesota; Hannah Seymore, Visalia, California; Morgan Woodbury, Quenemo, Kansas; Katherine Krauss, Russell, Kansas; Abby Leachman, Townsend, Montana and Travis O’Quinn, Manhattan, Kan., coach.