Virginia Tech Soil Judging Team wins seventh national championship
The team beat out 24 competitors at the 2024 National Soil Judging Contest in Iowa.
The 2024 Soil Judging Champions. From left: Danielle Davies, Will Ubben, Grace Bartlett, Matthew Smith, Carmen Curry, Delia Alcorn, Liz Eroshenko, Joe Paterson, Sam Herrin, Rachel Parmele, John Galbraith, Clara Betts, and Sinclair Anderson. Photo courtesy of John Galbraith.
The Soil Judging Team at Virginia Tech earned first place at the 2024 National Soil Judging Contest in Ames, Iowa.
“With 25 teams and 205 students competing from across the nation our victory was hard-earned,” said Clara Betts, a junior in ecological restoration at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
At the four-day event, students visited practice pits, or simulated soil profiles, where they were tasked with describing various soil samples and answering questions regarding the soil's hydrology, classification, and interpretation. Students also learned about the unique geology of the area and the soil’s suitability for various purposes such as growing corn, supporting septic tanks, constructing houses with basements, and maintaining local roads.
In addition to the team’s first-place win, Liz Eroshenko, a senior in environmental sciences from Richmond, received first place in the contest’s individual competition, closely followed by teammate Matthew Smith, a senior in environmental horticulture from Chantilly, in second place.
Led by John Galbraith, a professor of soil science at the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, the team devoted an extensive amount of time to training over the course of the last year. Students spent their Sunday afternoons digging soil pits at Kentland Farm with its wide range of landscape positions.
Virginia Tech has previous victories in both virtual and on-site soil judging contests, including the Southeast Region Soil Judging Contest in October 2023. This year's title marked the seventh time the team has won the national competition, which is the second-best winning record of any university.
“I’m so proud of how hard this team practiced and just how well they worked together,” said Clare Tallamy, assistant coach of the Soil Judging Team. “We are especially grateful to the Virginia Association of Professional Soil Scientists and the Virginia Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association for donating the funds to make this trip possible.”
Virginia Tech students analyzing soil profiles. From left: Rachel Parmele, Liz Eroshenko, Will Ubben (top), Matt Smith, and Joe Paterson. Photo Courtesy of John Galbraith.
