Livestock Judging Team Claims Seventh National Title

Texas Tech's livestock judging team was crowned national champions at the 2011 North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Ky. The team won by a 31-point margin, finishing with a total team score of 4,677 points.

The Red Raiders won the overall reasons and swine divisions, were second in the cattle division and placed third in the sheep division.

“I’m proud of their achievements, but I’m more excited to see the difference this experience will make in their lives,” said Ryan Rathmann, an assistant professor and the team’s coach.

Individually, Brady Ragland, a senior from Wolfforth, was awarded high individual overall. Jordan Clem, a senior from New Home, was fifth overall; Brandi Capps, a senior from Dewey, Okla., was eighth overall; and Kody Lucherk, a senior from Poth, was ninth overall.

Additional team members were:

• Clay Burson, a senior from Abilene
• Clayton Gardner, a senior from Estancia, N.M.
• Tanner Kieschnick, a senior from Vernon
• Katie Rose McCullough, a senior from Castle Rock, Colo.
• Clay Morrison, a senior from Midland
• Nathan Pond, a senior from Wolfforth
• Logan Pritchett, a senior from Kingfisher, Okla.
• Nathan Reeves, a senior from League City
• Joel Riedel, a senior from Arroyo Grande, Calif.
• Markus Miller, a senior from Abernathy
• Loni Woolley, a senior from Grandview

Rathmann was named the coach of the year at the exposition. Graduate student Bryan Bernhard also coached alongside Rathmann.

NAILE awarded 10 individuals All-American honors, of which Texas Tech won six. The honorees included, Burson, Gardner, Lucherk, Pritchett, Ragland and Woolley. The All-American awards program, initiated by the University Livestock Judging Team Coaches’ Association in 2000, is designed to recognize students who have made a personal commitment to livestock judging and have also excelled in academics, university and industry activities and community service.

This year the team won competitions at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, National Barrow Show, Tulsa State Fair, State Fair of Texas and American Royal. The Red Raiders are only the 11th team in the history of livestock judging to win both the American Royal and the NAILE.

This is Texas Tech’s seventh livestock national championship. Previous wins were in 1934, 1953, 1985, 2007, 2008 and 2009.