Members of the UW livestock judging team after the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Intercollegiate
Meat Judging Contest awards banquet are, from left, Coach Caleb Boardman; Zane Mackey,
Torrington; Connor Madsen, Wheatland; Ty Shockley, Wheatland; Paige Alyward, Dickens,
Neb.; Garret Barton, Poway, Calif.; Kassi Renner, Lovell; Amanda Hartman, Denton,
Mont.; Kyle Cavey, Berthoud, Colo.; Lucas Stalcup, Ashland, Mont.; Tyler Bauer, Fort
Collins, Colo.; and assistant coach Colby Hales. (UW Photo)
Two University of Wyoming livestock judging team members this spring recorded the
highest-ever UW scores at national meets, and the team posted its first top-five national
finish in 25 years.
Coach Caleb Boardman says Tyler Bauer, Fort Collins, Colo., and Zane Mackey, Torrington,
posted the two scores at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Intercollegiate Meat Judging
Contest in March, and UW placed fourth at the San Antonio Livestock Exposition Intercollegiate
Livestock Show in February.
“The 2017 University of Wyoming livestock judging team had a very successful spring
season,” Boardman says. “The team placed in the top 10 overall at each of the three
national contests.”
The team had multiple practice contests, judging more than 100 classes before the
Denver National Western Stock Show (NWSS) and Rodeo in January.
“All of the workouts and practice contests paid off after the team was awarded 10th
overall at the NWSS,” he says.
In San Antonio:
-- The team was third in cattle and fifth in sheep, swine and reasons.
-- Mackey and Garrett Barton, Poway, Calif., finished fourth and eighth in swine,
respectively, out of 126 contestants.
-- Kassi Renner, Lovell, led the team individually with a top-25 finish.
At Houston:
-- The team finished eighth in the 26-team field.
-- UW’s team tied for first in goats, sixth in sheep and swine, eighth in placings,
ninth in cattle and tied for 10th in reasons.
-- Out of 210 contestants, Bauer was eighth overall, third in sheep, sixth in placings
and 12th in reasons; and Mackey was 17th overall, fourth in placings and sixth in
swine.
“It was a record-breaking day for UW, both individually and as a team,” Boardman says.
The team set a school record for the Houston contest in the overall score and the
reasons score, which also now stands as the highest reasons score on record for UW,
he says. This year’s team members recorded five of the top 10 individual scores ever
recorded by UW contestants at the Houston competition.
“The team members extend a sincere ‘thank you’ to the Department of Animal Science
and College of Agriculture and Natural Resources for all the support they have given
the livestock judging program,” Boardman adds.
For more information, or to support the program, call Boardman at (307) 766-2159 or
email caleb.boardman@uwyo.edu.
