College of DuPage Places Fifth Among Community Colleges in Prestigious National Landscaping Competition

Posted April 06, 2017 11:00 pm

COD News Bureau

A team of nineteen College of DuPage horticulture students recently placed fifth overall among community colleges in the 2017 National Collegiate Landscaping Competition held at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The students placed 22nd overall out of 672 students representing 61 four-year universities and community colleges.

COD students Saul Garcia (Winfield) and Christian Garcia (Winfield) placed 2nd overall in the Hardscape competition. In recognition of their win, the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) and the Green Industry & Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO) 1st and 2nd place hardscape teams will participate in the Hardscape North America (HNA) Installer Championship in Louisville, KY, in Oct.

During the competition, COD students Jorge Castillo (Wheaton) and Rafael Zavala (Aurora) placed 15th overall in Landscape Maintenance Operations; Castillo, Zavala and Danielle Freeman (Chicago) placed 13th overall in Landscape Plant Installation; Freeman placed 23rd overall in Interior Plant Identification; Zavala placed 8th overall in the Tractor Backhoe Operation; Zachary Michnick (West Chicago) placed 13th overall in Computer Aided Landscape Design, 16th overall in 3D Exterior Landscape Design, and 24th overall in Construction Cost Estimating; Eric Groh (Oak Brook) placed 24th overall in Exterior Landscape Design; Groh and Gannon Siran (Westmont) placed 25th overall in Wood Construction; Joseph Christian (Hinsdale) placed 28th overall in Interior Landscape Design; Christian and Daniel Stantz (Northwoods) placed 25th overall in Irrigation Assembly; Sara VanMeter (Carol Stream) placed 29th overall in Woody Ornamental Plant Identification.

The National Collegiate Landscape Competition is an annual three-day competition and networking event for students enrolled in interior and exterior horticulture programs at two-and four-year colleges and universities from across the country. Landscape industry students demonstrate their skills in real-world, competitive events coupled with a Career Fair.

Click here for more information on the College of DuPage Horticulture program or contact Judy Burgholzer at (630) 942-3095, burghoj

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