WT Meat Judging Team Wins National Contest Decisively with Near-Record Score

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University’s Meat Judging Team won a second consecutive championship at the American Royal Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest, posting the second-highest score in intercollegiate history.

The WT team scored 4,283 — one point shy of tying the record. By a 59-point margin, the WT team topped Texas Tech University, its closest competitor, as well as teams from Texas A&M University, Kansas State University and the University of Wyoming.

“As a coach I ask for students to do their best, but this contest was an exciting exception. The students had a perfect day,” said Dr. Loni Lucherk, Gordon W. Davis Endowed Chair in Meat Judging and team coach. “The team has now set a precedence of excellence for all meat judging teams in the country.”

The WT team competed Oct. 13 at Nebraska Beef in Omaha. This year’s score was nearly 50 points higher than its championship score at the 2023 competition, at the time the highest score in WT history. In November, the team won its first-ever national championship at the Tyson International Contest.

At this year’s American Royal, WT’s team took home first-place honors in beef grading, lamb judging, pork judging, specifications, total beef, reasons and placings, as well as fourth place in beef judging. 

Will Hauerland, a junior agricultural business and economics major from Sealy, was the top-ranked individual and received a $1,000 scholarship from the Bellinger Foundation. With a WT-record score of 1,079, Hauerland placed first in beef grading, lamb judging, total beef, and specifications, as well as fourth in total placings. 

Campbell Offield, a junior agricultural education major from Plainview, ranked second overall, first in reasons, second in lamb judging and third in beef grading, pork judging and specifications. 

Daniel Raab, a senior animal science major from Fredericksburg, placed fourth overall, first in pork judging and total placings, and third in lamb judging. 

Lane Golla, a senior animal science major from New Braunfels, was sixth overall and fifth in total placings and beef judging. 

Helene Keiser, a junior animal science major from Gothenburg, Nebraska, was first in the alternate division, and Katie Labrum, a junior animal science major from Bear River, Wyoming, was ninth in the alternate division.

The team also includes Mya Alford, a senior animal science major from Brock; Lily Hooser, a senior agriculture major from Chillicothe; and Clayton Stevenson, a junior animal science major from Earth.   

In addition to Lucherk, the team also is coached by Will Boyd, a graduate student in animal science from Joshua.

WT’s meat judging team is one of the ways the University is responsive to regional needs, as set out in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: West Texas A&M University's Meat Judging team won the American Royal Intercollegiate Meat Judging Contest on Oct. 13. Pictured are, from left, Coach Dr. Loni Lucherk, Clayton Stevenson, Lily Hooser, Helene Keiser, Campbell Offield, Mya Alford, Katie Labrum, Coach Will Boyd, Daniel Raab, Will Hauerland and Lane Golla.

—WT—