COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Livestock Judging Team placed ninth at the 107th National Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest held during the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 13, 2012. After attending the American Royal on Nov. 3, 2012 and reporting their poorest performance of the year, placing 15th, Ohio State turned their setback into a comeback by placing ninth out of 29 teams at the NAILE. This was the first time an Ohio State team has placed in the top 10 at the NAILE since 2004. Team members at the NAILE contest included Jake Boyert, Seville, Ohio, Lindsey Grimes, Hillsboro, Ohio, Bailey Harsh, Radnor, Ohio, Trey Miller, Baltimore, Ohio, and Kyle Nickles, Loudonville, Ohio. Ohio State had a few individuals recognized at the awards ceremony. Grimes and Harsh were both named to the 10-person All American Team. This team is selected based on outstanding achievement in academics, community and industry service, and livestock judging. Boyert was the ninth high individual in swine judging. Other team members that traveled to the NAILE included Nate Benich, Plymouth, Ohio, Linsey Howell, Danville, Ohio, Audrey Neal, Tiffin, Ohio, and Nick Wright, Brookville, Ohio. Students judged 12 classes of 4 animals and then presented 8 sets of oral reasons on select classes of sheep, swine and cattle. Nearly 140 individual collegiate students participated in the contest at the NAILE. OSU Livestock Judging Coach Kyle Culp was humbled by the hard work and accomplishments his team achieved at the NAILE. “I am extremely proud of the progress and success this team has had this past year,” Culp said. “Not only have these students put in countless hours of practice, but they demonstrated how students who set high goals can accomplish them.” Culp was also proud that Ohio State had a majority of 4-year students on a team that placed in the top 10 teams. “Not a single 4-year student has competed on the winning team at the NAILE since 2004,” Culp said. “This year, 4 of our 5 students competing on the floor did not have previous collegiate judging experience. Despite having a few mistakes, we were still able to compete with perennial powerhouse programs, and I’m confident our teams will continue to make strides as long as they believe in themselves and are willing to work hard. The 2012 team won 2 contests and finished in the top ten 8 out of 9 times. They set the bar high for future Buckeye teams, and I’m only interested in continuing to improve our students’ success as we move our program forward.” Culp is excited to begin preparing next year’s team in December and knows they will have tremendous growth in the practice period. For more information about the OSU Livestock Judging Team, please contact Kyle Culp at culp.1045@osu.edu or 614-292-2201.