Contact Us

Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


Find us on Facebook (Link opens a new window) Find us on Twitter (Link opens a new window)


UW Meat Judging Team Finishes Spring Season With Win at Iowa State

large group of people posing at a table with prize ribbons and a trophy
Members of the 2023 UW collegiate meat judging team are, from left: front, Abby Vogl (assistant coach), Sophia Fuhrmann, Ashlyn Manuel, Kylie Strauch, Rachel Broyles, Madeline Holmes, Tessa Maurer, Kara Reynolds, Haley Rutsch, McKensie Phillips (coordinator) and Jake Gillespie (coach); back, Joseph Kennah and Casey Spencer. (UW Photo)

The University of Wyoming collegiate meat judging team wrapped up a successful spring season with a first-place finish at Iowa State University March 4.

It was a great day in the coolers last weekend, reports UW collegiate judging Coordinator McKensie Phillips. The UW team was named champion overall, placing first in all but one team division. Team members excelled individually as well, with all 10 students earning spots in the Top 10 Total Contest or Top 10 Alternate Division.

The win in Ames, Iowa, was the culmination of what the 2023 team dubbed UW’s comeback tour. After a hiatus in 2022, a dedicated group of UW students revived the meat judging program under the mentorship of Phillips, Head Coach Jake Gillespie and Assistant Coach Abby Vogl.

Members of the 2023 collegiate meat judging team are Rachel Broyles, of Arlington; Sophia Fuhrmann, of Hoaglund, Ind.; Madeline Holmes, of Humboldt, Calif.; Joseph Kennah, of Hulett; Ashlyn Manuel, of Montrose, Colo.; Tessa Maurer, of Arvada, Colo.; Kara Reynolds, of Laramie; Haley Rutsch, of Pinedale; Casey Spencer, of Petaluma, Calif.; and Kylie Strauch, of Van Tassell.

“Throughout the season, these students worked so hard to set goals, to accomplish and perform. That just escalated their success,” Phillips says. “They know they are setting a standard and really reinvigorating the program.”

The Cowboys kicked off the season with an impressive showing at the National Western Stock Show, earning high team honors in the beef grading division as well as a fifth-place team finish overall. In outstanding individual debuts, Kennah won the total beef division, and Holmes and Strauch earned top-10 finishes in the Alternate Contest.

In late January, the UW team finished seventh at the Southwestern Intercollegiate Meat Judging contest in Ennis, Texas. Last month, the team placed sixth at the South Plains Intercollegiate contest in Hereford, Texas, before wrapping up the spring season with the Iowa State win.

In July, the UW collegiate meat judges will officially become international competitors, traveling to Australia for an invitation-only conference, career expo and competition. More details will be released later this spring.

Students interested in joining the 2024 meat judging team are encouraged to attend a free recruitment dinner in early April. Email Phillips at mckensie.phillips@uwyo.edu or call (307) 766-2334 for more information.

Contact Us

Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


Find us on Facebook (Link opens a new window) Find us on Twitter (Link opens a new window)