In the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, competition can be challenging, but the experience can offer more than just a banner or trophy. For Davis College students, joining a competitive team can be a transformative experience that shapes their academic journey, professional goals, and personal growth.
“At first I thought 4 a.m. practices were not for me, but it gives you a lot of applicable knowledge that you wouldn’t get anywhere else in college,” Kyndal Edwards, a sophomore animal science major with a concentration in meat science and minor in international agribusiness, said.
By choosing to compete on a Davis College competitive team, students are exposing themselves to skills and lessons that can serve as a catalyst to their personal growth and success, in and out of the classroom.
“The lessons you learn while you’re on the team are so much more important than any banner you’ll ever win,” Edwards said.
From meat judging to agronomy quiz bowl, the college’s competitive teams can offer vast learning opportunities in several different settings, embody a blend of academic rigor, critical thinking skills, hands-on experience and the drive to succeed.
Why Compete in the Davis College
The Davis College is home to 15 competitive teams, which may focus on different subject matter, but they are all connected by their drive to go above and beyond.
Lexi Hunt, a junior animal science major, said she came to Texas Tech because of the opportunities to compete.
“During my time at South Plains College, I got to be around Texas Tech students, advisors,” Hunt said. “Through those interactions, I got to build great connections, not only with the advisors and professors, but also with fellow students.”
Hunt said the culture and environment at Texas Tech makes it elite. The support she has received from faculty and judging coaches has helped her succeed.
“One of the main driving factors for me attending Texas Tech was the coaching staff,” Hunt said. “Dr. Ryan Rathmann has laid the groundwork for the livestock judging program at Texas Tech, but now it is fully in the hands of coach Skyler Scotten and assistant coach Kase LeRow.”
Like Hunt, Edwards said the personalized approach taken by the animal and food science department’s professors and advisors has positively affected her studies.
“I think the Davis College does such a great job of making sure they pour into every single student that goes through the programs,” Edwards said. “The professors pour into you. It feels like Texas Tech can be such a big campus, but the Davis College feels like a small town on a big campus.”
Edwards said she has always felt valued and appreciated in the meat judging program. She said the professors and coaches of the Davis College established a personal connection with her and want her to succeed.
Edwards said she didn’t come to college with the intent of competing on a team, due to her non-judging background, but with the encouragement of her academic advisor, her involvement on the wool judging team led to her current spot on the meat judging team.
“I took the wool judging class, and I just really fell in love with being able to compete in something in college, and like the life skills that being on these teams gives you,” Edwards said.
Edwards said she enjoys the applicable lessons attained by competing on the meat judging team, as well as students from other Davis College teams. Jamie Sander, a senior agricultural leadership major with a minor in plant and soil science, said, “Being a leader in the club has helped me be involved in the Davis College, which has also helped me build connections.”
More than Competition
Competing on a team through the Davis College is optional to students but can serve as a platform for career and post-graduation readiness. It can be a chance for students to self-reflect and improve to prepare for their next steps.
Mark Miller, Ph.D., San Antonio Livestock Exposition Endowed Chair in Meat Science and Meat Science Professor at Texas Tech, said the Davis College competitive teams aim to instill three core values into students: excellence, honor, and service. He said these values set Texas Tech apart and serve as the basis to student success beyond their academic careers.
Edwards said her time on the meat judging team prepared her for her future career.
“Judging has really taught me how to use my brain and think in a way that’s not school-related,” Edwards said. “You do so much and learn so much, especially in meat judging, it requires a level of focus that I’ve never had to use in my life. It’s taught me how to be prepared for a real job, and given me lessons that I’m going to need, that I wouldn’t necessarily learn in a classroom.”
Hunt said competing has paved the way for long-term success after her time at Texas Tech.
“I think the biggest lesson from being on a competitive team through this college is just looking at the bigger picture and realizing that being a part of a collegiate Livestock Judging Team is more than just marking 12 cards and talking eight sets during a contest, it’s about building yourself into a greater person and then being able to put that into a successful career and livelihood,” Hunt said.
Paige Lemenager, a junior animal science major, said competing on a Davis College team has greatly contributed to her self-development by encouraging her to step outside her comfort zone.
“It is crucial to step outside your comfort zone during your collegiate academic career, and while it is hard being far away from home, it’s going to make me the best person I can be,” Lemenager said.
Lemenager said the Davis College is setting a standard for students to leave comfortable settings to meet new people and gain valuable experiences to succeed at a high degree.
Sander said leading the agronomy team through practices and preparing for contests has been a real-world experience that compliments her leadership focused degree and has helped her secure a career.
“Being a leader in the club has helped me be involved in the Davis College, which has also helped me build connections,” Sander said.
Shaelyn Rainey, the Texas Tech Plant Identification team coach, said students working together in plant identification translates to their studies and career readiness.
“They learn to work with each other and study hard with each other. This translates easily into their work life, their studying any sort of job applications that they might have. It all turns out very well for them,” Rainey said.
Competing through Davis College teams is a way for students to build connections with industry professionals, and boost recognition through achievements at contests.
Joey Young, an associate professor of turfgrass science at Texas Tech, said, “The recognition that comes along with the turf bowl exam is pretty widespread across our industry, so I think consistency and being able to note that you were a top performer would be really excellent.”
Young said the most important aspect of competing on the turf bowl team is students building their confidence.
Daniel Hirmas, Ph.D., BL Allen Endowed Chair and Professor of Pedology in the Department of Plant and Soil Science, said students coming in with a limited knowledge of soil judging can work to their advantage.
“Students come in no matter what their major is, but it’s great because the skills are transferable. If you learn how to critically think through a soil pit and what it means and how to interpret it, you’re going to be able to do that in whatever field you want to go in,” Hirmas said.
Success Beyond the Banners
Texas Tech’s Davis College teams have brought over 100 national championship titles back to Lubbock; an achievement that can serve as a reminder of how the Davis College teams implement honor and excellence. However, for some competitors, winning is not defined by titles and trophies.
The biggest success to me is establishing these relationships.
Dakota David, a junior animal science major, said even though his goal is to help his team win at each contest, success to him is deeper than contest results.
He said success is defined by the person you are, and being in a team environment has helped him and each of his teammates grow personally.
Edwards disclosed how she views the lessons learned and friendships made more important than bringing home a banner.
“I don’t ever look back on that team and think the greatest moment of all of it was winning,” Edwards said.
Edwards said the most meaningful part of competing on teams wasn’t the titles or accolades, but the long-lasting relationships and friendships that came from it, along with the personal growth and lessons gained through experiences.
Hirmas said seeing teams come together to learn vital skills is more rewarding than winning a contest.
“The winning of the contest is the goal, but the real prize is the team creating critical thinking skills they need, learning something about soils, which will help them in any field, and learning how to compete, how to conduct themselves well, how to encourage one another, how to lead and all of those sorts of things,” Hirmas said.
He said even though the team dealt with the defeat of not qualifying for a national contest, the team still worked hard together and competed strongly, which is a skill transferable to many aspects of students’ lives.
Hirmas said students’ growth, maturity, and willingness to help each other was the most rewarding aspect of coaching the soil judging team.
Young said the turf bowl team has an alternative definition of success.
“It’s most successful for the students to go and have a good experience at the conference, and having the opportunity to network and connect with professionals in our industry is very important,” Young said.
Through competing on teams within the Davis College, students can go beyond the traditional classroom setting by participating in hands-on practices and lessons, which they apply to competitive scenarios. Students attest that competing in these events has developed their personal and professional skills and cultivated friendships that have been more influential than banners and awards.
Competing on the Davis College teams can not only foster opportunities and connections that cultivate a competitive nature in students but equip students with the life skills needed to be successful in pursuits beyond their time on a competitive team. Students can use the impact of their time competing through the Davis College at Texas Tech to strive for honor in the pursuit of excellence in every future endeavor.
“When I look back on these teams, the biggest success to me is establishing these relationships and knowing you’ll always have a friendship with them,” Edwards said.