Win marks first championship for UMD team in 20 years of competition
The University of Maryland receives a check for $4,000 for winning the 2014 Collegiate Turf Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
A team of four students from the University of Maryland earned first prize in the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s (GCSAA) Collegiate Turf Bowl held Thursday, February 6 in Orlando, Florida.
Student teams from across the country compete in this national contest that tests their knowledge and skills related to turf grass, agronomy, business management, environmental management, communication and leadership.
The University of Maryland has participated annually in the Collegiate Turf Bowl since the competition began 20 years ago. Despite consistently placing in the top ten and taking home third prize last year, this is the Terps’ first championship.
The winning team from the University of Maryland includes three students studying golf course management through the Institute for Applied Agriculture (IAA): Brian Hogan, Matthew Park and Brent Waite. Ryan Higgins, a turf and golf course management student in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, rounds out the foursome. IAA lecturer Dr. Kevin Mathias serves as the team’s advisor.
As part of the competition, the students had to identify certain types of turf grass, weeds and insects, write an essay and complete a written test. The Terps were awarded $4,000 for their first place finish.
