By Victoria Pilger

HOUSTON – The Texas A&M University Wool Judging Team won their final contest of the season at the 2014 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Collegiate Wool Judging Contest on March 17, 2014.

The Aggies swept the contest with both teams placing first and second, followed by two teams from Texas Tech and Angelo State, respectively.

The team is coordinated by Dr. Shawn Ramsey and coached by Tanner Wieghat. Assistant coaches include Garrett Stribling, Emily Von Edwins, and Erika Wiggs.

Team members are Kylie Bennett, from Riesel, Sierra Francis, from McKinney, Courtney Hancock, from San Antonio, Kade Hodges, from Sterling City, Tana Luna, from Troy, Shelby Martin, from Llano, Mariel McFadin, from La Vernia, Brooke Orsak, from Pearland, Brandi Ortolon, from Edna, Alexis Roach, from College Station, and Logan Speck, from Early, all freshmen animal science majors; and Bridget O’Brien, freshman agribusiness major from Boerne.

In individual competition, five Texas A&M team members finished in the top 10 overall including first high individual won by Martin. Francis finished third, McFadin won fourth, followed by Speck in sixth, and O’Brien in ninth.

The team ended the season as the undisputed 2014 National Champion Wool Judging Team after winning the National Western, San Antonio Livestock Exposition and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo contests.

Additionally, the 2014 All American Wool Judging Team was announced at the conclusion of the Houston contest. Six of the eight team members were recognized as All Americans from Texas A&M: Francis, Martin, McFadin, O’Brien, Hodges, and Speck.

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Victoria Pilger is a junior Animal Science major with a minor in Agricultural Communications and Journalism from Bryan, Texas.

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Courtney Coufal at cacoufal@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.