Thursday March 28th, 2024 5:30PM

North Georgia Technical College’s horticulture students earn top rankings at National Collegiate Landscape Competition

The NGTC horticulture team placed 21st nationally and several students finished in the top 5 of various events at the 41st Annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition held at Brigham Young University in Utah.
 
It was the fifth consecutive year the school finished in the Top 25 in the nation wide collegiate event also known as the "Olympics of Landscaping," according to NGTC Horticulture Instructor Craig Thurmond.
 
"The top horticulture programs in the country, including major universities like BYU, Penn State, Cal-Poly, Georgia, Auburn and other big boys compete every year. There is anywhere between 60 and 70 schools, usually about 800 students, competing in 28 events ranging from computer ready design all the way down to heavy equipment and everything between," said Thurmond.
 
NGTC Students Carter Lee and Christian Nelms both earned second place in Wood Construction. Nelms also received a national ranking in the top 100 overall students with a ranking of 54.
 
Mark Ware placed fifth in Sales Presentation. Mackenzie Hill placed sixth in Skid Steer Operation. Hill also placed in the top 25 overall with a ranking of 24th. Joel Pritchett ranked in the top 50 with a ranking of 34th out of 700 students competing.

Other NGTC students who received a national ranking within the top 20 in individual events include Johnny Payne and Hill who together placed 14th in Landscape Maintenance Operation. Hill also placed 12th in Compact Excavator. Matt Thomas placed 17th in Construction Cost Estimate.
 
“This year we had several students offered jobs with major industry players in Alabama, Illinois, Colorado and Washington, D.C.,” said Thurmond.
 
“I believe some of our team will be traveling to these locations on their spring break for a company visit and final offer. I am so proud of the way these students prepared for an impromptu interview, dinner meetings and simply representing NGTC in such a competitive job market.”
© Copyright 2024 AccessWDUN.com
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.