ICC Agriculture Students Excel in Illinois PAS Competition

by Jennifer O'Neil

East Peoria, IL (12/04/2023) — Students from the renowned agricultural program at Illinois Central College have showcased exceptional skills and unwavering dedication, securing outstanding results at the Illinois Professional Agricultural Students (PAS) competition held on November 17 at Illinois State University in Normal. The event, which attracted 157 participants from 14 community colleges and 4-year universities, featured intense competitions spanning Job Employment and Area Specialty categories. ICC takes great pride in congratulating its talented agricultural students for their remarkable performance in this statewide competition.

All first-place teams, along with first- and second-place interview winners from ICC, have earned the coveted opportunity to represent their institution at the upcoming National PAS contest, scheduled to take place at Lincoln Land College in Springfield in March 2024. This achievement marks a significant milestone for ICC and underscores the caliber of talent within its agriculture program.

Job Interview Results

Brandon Jochimsen-Animal & Dairy Services (1st)
Connor Eversole-Floriculture, Landscaping, and Nursery (1st)
Ray Duncan-Agronomic Production (2nd)
Dalton Walter-Animal and Dairy Production (2nd)
Talena Sprecher-Agribusiness Administration (2nd)
Lauren Mohr-Agricultural Education (3rd)
Nathaniel Gaul-Agricultural Sales (3rd)

Also competing were Lydia Rogers (Floriculture, Landscaping, and Nursery) and Kyle Bird (Agronomic Services).

Specialty Area Results

Crops-1st Place Team

Connor Eversole-1st Place Individual
Anna Doty-3rd Place Individual
Laura Stevens-4th Place Individual

Crops-3rd Place Team

Nathaniel Gaul
Dalton Walter
Kyle Bird

Congratulations to the ICC Horticulture program on their success, as well!

Landscape-1st Place Team

Kaylin Turner-1st Place Individual
Peyton Snell-3rd Place Individual

Landscape-3rd Place Team

Nicholas Bunnell
Ben Grove

Agribusiness Club advisors are Pete Fandel, Blake Lehman, and Grant Grebner. The Horticulture team is coached by Corinne Brown.

Key ICC Highlights from the Illinois PAS Competition:

ICC emerged as the sole institution with multiple first-place winners in the highly competitive interview competition.
More ICC students secured positions in the Top 3 in their respective areas compared to any other participating school.
An impressive 7 out of 9 ICC students clinched Top 3 positions in their respective interviews, showcasing the depth of talent within the program.
Both area specialty teams from ICC clinched the top spot in their respective competitions, further highlighting the institution's dominance in diverse agricultural disciplines.

The outstanding achievements of Illinois Central College agriculture students reflect the excellence and commitment of the program, positioning ICC as a leader in agricultural education.

Pictured:

Left to right, back row: Grant Grebner, Peter Fandel, Ray Duncan, Dalton Walter, Connor Eversole, Brandon Jochimsen

Left to right, front row: Lauren Mohr, Talena Sprecher, Laura Stevens, Anna Doty, Nathaniel Gaul, Kyle Bird (missing: Lydia Rogers and Club Advisor Blake Lehman)