Area students were among those competing in the 2026 Nebraska Range Judging Contest that happened recently northwest of North Platte. A total of 484 students and 38 adults participating in the competition, testing their knowledge of range management.
Ansley’s Robert Brott placed first in individual Junior competition, Burwell’s Jackson Joy was second, and Blake Bottorf of Sargent was fourth.
In Junior team competition for 7th through 10th graders, Burwell came in second (Jackson Joy, Jordee Johnston, Hudson Redman, Brye Burnham), Ansley came in third (Robert Brott, Bayler Clay, Aspen Taylor, Lily Hickenbottom), and Sargent came in fourth (Blake Bottorf, Nathan Lowry, Quade Smith, Jace Mauler). Ansley came in third in senior team competition for 11th and 12th graders, with teammates Wyatt Hoblyn Shoemaker, Madie Loy, Kali Nelson, and Owen Hawkins.
In the adult category, Philip Simpson of Burwell came in first, Mike Kozeal of Sargent was third, and Tanner Dunbar from Loup County was fourth. 
The Nebraska Range Judging Contest gives youth and adults an opportunity to learn about identifying and managing Nebraska’s native rangelands. Participants put their knowledge to the test through a competition designed to build their understanding of range resources and the importance of conserving them.
The contest dates back to 1965, when a group associated with the Nebraska Chapter of the Society for Range Management established the event. Today, six local contests are held around the state before participants advance to the state contest, providing opportunities for people from across Nebraska to take part.
While the awards recognize students’ hard work, contest organizers emphasize that the greater value comes from what participants learn about range management, the importance of passing that knowledge on to others, and developing pride in Nebraska’s natural resources and their future.
Organizers also thanked the local Natural Resources Districts, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Lincoln County Extension Office and the many volunteers from across the state who helped coordinate and host the contest.
The following are the results from the 2026 Nebraska Range Judging Contest:
Junior Team (7th-10th Grade)
1st Place – Imperial
Clayson Thayer
Tatum May
Damien Barger
Truman Olsen
2nd Place – Burwell
Jackson Joy
Jordee Johnston
Hudson Redman
Brye Burnham
3rd Place – Ansley
Robert Brott
Bayler Clay
Aspen Taylor
Lily Hickenbottom
4th Place – Sargent
Blake Bottorf
Nathan Lowry
Quade Smith
Jace Mauler
Senior Team (11th-12th Grade)
1st Place – West Holt
Hunter Wettlaufer
Case Shane
Ian Shane
Elizabeth Olson
2nd Place – St. Paul
Noah Gawrych
Cash Wemhoff
Joel Kaslon
Braden Hirschman
3rd Place – Ansley
Wyatt Hoblyn Shoemaker
Madie Loy
Kali Nelson
Owen Hawkins
4th Place – Imperial
Aidan Vlasin
Bennett Kuenning
Sawyer Sauder
Luke Kuenning
Junior Individual (7th-10th Grade)
1st Place – Robert Brott; Ansley
2nd Place – Jackson Joy; Burwell
3rd Place – Clayson Thayer; Imperial
4th Place – Blake Bottorf; Sargent
Participation – Top 25%
Ansley – Bayler Clay, Aspen Taylor, Lily Hickenbottom, Jaxon Schulte, Tyliee Hendricks
Arcadia – Kade Hulinsky
Boyd County – Juliana Cline, Miri Johnson,
Burwell – Jordee Johnston, Hudson Redman, Brye Burnham, Traigh Freeman, Boz Conrad, Jasper Borgelt
Chadron – Roudy Schommer,
Chambers – Weston Brown, Trevor Timmerman
Elgin – Kinley Miller, Garrett Busteed,
Hay Springs – Connor Forney
Imperial – Tatum May, Damien Barger, Truman Olsen, Hayden Worth, Anna McNair, Thomas Maddux,
Loup County – Lane Moody,
Medicine Valley – Isaac Snyder,
Nebraska Ag Academy – Reagan Schaaf, Nathan Brhel, Ivy Chipperfield, Madeline Smith,
O’Neill – Lynn Miner,
Ord – Nathan Wadas, Kaitlyn Reineke
Riverside – Belle Weltruski, Kathryn North
Sargent – Nathan Lowry, Quade Smith, Jace Mauler
St. Paul – Landen Herbig, Mostyn Meyer, Braxton Headrick, Ryker Rasmussen
Valentine – Ali Weller, Bayley Burdick, Ezra Dorsey, Tylee Tinant
Wallace – Hazel Deaver, Heidi Deaver, Tonya Deaver,
West Holt – Landri Nemetz, Atziri Sanchez, Mahlon Stine, Ryder Wettlaufer, Reese Hoffman, Lainey Skrdla, Isabella Schaaf, Payton Skrdla, Ryan Havranek
Wheeler Central – Corbin Kasselder, Elexis Plugge, Owen Sallach, Denna Skortcz
Senior Individual (11th-12th Grade)
1st Place – Emily Bashtovi; Sidney
2nd Place – Kayden Kvistad; Chadron
3rd Place – Hunter Wettlaufer; West Holt
4th Place – Aiden Vlasin; Imperial
Participation – Top 25%
Ansley – Wyatt Hoblyn Shoemaker, Madie Loy, Kali Nelson, Owen Hawkins
Arapahoe – Briggs Hill
Arcadia – Kale Dorsey,
Burwell – Eli Cox,
Cambridge – Regine Pena, Kylie Koeppen
Chadron – Sam Kahl
Deshler – Makenna Freitag, Danica O’Neal
Elgin – Kylee Lichtenberg, Libby Evans, Zoey Buetcher
Imperial – Bennett Kuenning
Kimball – Trey Cook,
Loup County – Sierra Slagle, Alyissa Moody, Jaelynn Blackburn
Medicine Valley – Spencer Snyder
O’Neill – Kaitlyn Hinrichs
Ord – Elizabeth Skibinski, Avery Bruha, Kyptan Scheideler
Rock County – Noah Seberger
Sargent – Brinley Smith
St. Paul – Noah Gawrych, Cash Wemhoff, Joel Kaslon, Braden Hirschman, Ryan Rasmussen
Valentine – Annalena Nelson, Camilla Brown, Raken Tinant, Josie Shaul, Callie Kenner
West Holt – Case Shane, Ian Shane, Elizabeth Olson, Mason Troidl, London Konrad,
Wheeler Central – Justin Guggenmos, Reese Smith, Hadley Pokorny
Adults/Pro
1st Place – Philip Simpson; Burwell
2nd Place – Kelly Guggenmos; Wheeler Central
3rd Place – Mike Kozeal; Sargent
4th Place – Tanner Dunbar; Loup County
