OSU livestock judging team members posing with their championship trophies and plaques — OSU’s livestock judging team has earned the title of high team at six contests during its 2022 series of competition. (Photo provided by the OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences)

OSU livestock judging team wins national championship for second year in a row

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Media Contact: Gail Ellis | Editorial Communications Coordinator | 405-744-9152 | gail.ellis@okstate.edu

The Oklahoma State University livestock judging team won high team overall at the 2022 North American International Livestock Exposition on Nov. 14.

This fall marks the 22nd year OSU has brought home a national championship since its first win in 1925. Also in 2022, the university’s head judging coach, Parker Henley, was named Coach of the Year for the second time in two years. Henley is an assistant professor in the OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences and an OSU Extension specialist in beef seedstock management.

Henley and assistant coaches Macey Goretska and Pheobe Rogers led the team to not only a first-place finish overall, but also helped the group achieve high scores in both the cattle and reasons divisions.

OSU is home to one of the most successful judging programs in the nation, earning five national championships within the past six years. In the 2022 series of competition, OSU also earned high team honors at the Cattlemen’s Congress, Dixie National, Aksarben Livestock Show, Tulsa State Fair and American Royal.

“The team has tremendous knowledge of livestock in general, and they’re sharp stockmen and women who love thriving under pressure,” Henley said. “Any time there’s a big contest or new goal, they pull through with a win.”

Individual NAILE placings include:

Caden Arnold – 2nd high individual overall, high individual cattle, 9th high individual swine, 5th high individual reasons, high individual performance cattle

Kylar W. Lee – 6th high individual overall, 2nd high individual cattle, 8th high individual sheep/goats

Kyler Vernon – 8th high individual overall, 6th high individual cattle, 2nd high individual reasons

Hunter Lock – 11th high individual overall, 6th high individual sheep/goats, 9th high individual reasons

Cal Schultz – 15th high individual overall, 10th high individual reasons

Other team members include Garrett Vaughan, Hadley Albracht, Riley Smith, Jett Smith, Eva Hinrichsen, Lauren Erickson, Madison Goecke and Kaitlin Taylor.

The OSU livestock judging team will next compete at the Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City in January as well as contests in Denver, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston later this spring.