MSU students tie for second in national animal science competition

MSU students tie for second in national animal science competition

(The following is a press release from Montana State University. To learn more about the team’s regional win earlier this year, click here.)

BOZEMAN — Four students from the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at Montana State University tied for second place in the National Academic Quadrathlon, held July 20-21 in Kansas City, Mo., and Manhattan, Kan.

Anna Downen of Columbia Falls, Preston Kiehl of Winnett, Jessica Roloff of Bozeman, and Ben Stokes of Pflugerville, Texas, competed in a four-part contest that consisted of a comprehensive written exam, impromptu oral presentation, hands-on lab practicum, and a double-elimination quiz bowl tournament.

The MSU team competed with four other universities, including Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University and Texas A&M University. The MSU team won the oral presentation and took second in the lab practicum.

“Anna, Preston, Jessie, and Ben did a fantastic job representing MSU at the contest. I’m extremely proud of them and their hard work. It’s exciting that MSU holds our own with much larger schools. It only increases our confidence that our program is turning out students who are well-prepared for their future careers,” said team adviser Rachel Endecott.

Three of the four students graduated from MSU in May. Kiehl has one semester remaining and plans to return to his family ranch. Downen now lives in Fairview and works at a Sidney veterinary clinic. Roloff works on a ranch near Lewistown. Stokes is starting a master’s degree at Iowa State University.

The national contest was held in conjunction with the 2014 joint annual meeting of the American Society of Animal Science, American Dairy Science Association, and Canadian Society of Animal Science.