Broome-Tioga BOCES fielded a team of 57 students at this year’s New York State SkillsUSA Competition in Syracuse April 23-25, a group that earned first place honors in a record five individual and team contests.
The first place winners, nine students in all, will go on to compete at the National SkillsUSA Competition in Kansas City, Mo. June 22 - June 28. It is the largest national team Broome-Tioga BOCES has ever fielded.
“I won’t say we were surprised, exactly, because we knew we had an outstanding group. But we are truly impressed with the results,” said BOCES Career & Technical Education Principal Thomas McNair.
Overall, the Broome-Tioga BOCES team placed fourth out of the 86 schools represented at the statewide contest. The team also brought home four second place trophies and one third place.
Place winners (home district in parentheses);
1st place
Criminal Justice
· Zach Hunt (Harpursville)
Entrepreneurship (four-person team from cosmetology program)
· Nicole Cooper (Vestal)
· Michaela Fernandez (Central Baptist)
· Sydney Lansing (Vestal)
· Olivia Wickham (Chenango Valley)
Masonry
· Trevor Huntley (Susquehanna Valley)
Power Equipment Technology
· Mike Allen (Harpursville)
Television (Video) Production (two-person team)
· Rhianna Henson (Chenango Valley)
· Noah Holloway (Vestal)
2nd Place
Electrical Construction Wiring
· Zack Riegel (Owego-Apalachin)
Team Works
· Kyle Baumlin (Vestal)
· Jordan Groats (Owego-Apalachin)
· Tim Lasher (Maine-Endwell)
· Ben Schuttak (Johnson City)
Masonry
· Steve Greiner (Susquehanna Valley)
Welding Sculpture
· Jacob Judson (Owego-Apalachin)
3rd Place
Welding Fabrication
· John Bolson (Newark Valley)
· Justin Lovejoy (Newark Valley)
· Kegan Mikels (Newark Valley)
Pictured are the place winners at the SkillsUSA state competition (l-r) – Back: Mike Allen, Zack Hunt, Steve Greiner, Olivia Wickham, Michaela Fernandez, Nicole Cooper, Sydney Lansing, Trevor Huntley, Jacob Judson, Zack Riegel, Rhianna Henson, Noah Holloway. Front: Jordan Groats, Kyle Baumlin, Tim Lasher, Ben Schuttak, Kegan Mikels, Justin Lovejoy, John Bolson