A Cal Poly Pomona team finished in eighth place at the 2017 National Collegiate Landscape Competition.
The team was one of 60 that competed in the three-day contest, held March 15-18 at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The National Association of Landscape Professionals, the trade association for the landscape industry, organizes the event, which is designed to help nurture the next generation of industry talent.
The competition included contests in different landscaping industry skills, including skid steer operation precision tests, arboriculture techniques, races to design 3-D landscape design models, small engine repair contents, and flower, plant and foliage identification quizzes.
BYU won the competition. Cal Poly Pomona finished ahead of teams from schools such as Penn State, University of Georgia, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Kansas State, West Virginia, Mississippi State, Auburn and Virginia Tech.
Juan Villegas finished the competition with the eighth-best overall individual score out of 672 students. Cal Poly Pomona students recording top 10 finishes in individual events include:
- Ted Pan, fourth place, 3-D Exterior Landscape Design
- Ted Pan, sixth place, Maintenance Cost Estimating
- Amanda Flores, seventh place, Exterior Landscape Design;
- Amanda Flores, third place, Interior Landscape Design
- Diego Palamino, fifth place, Interior Plant Identification
- Mark Nakatsui, eighth place, Irrigation Design
- Juan Villegas, second place, Skid Steer Operation
- Austin Zendejas, seventh place, Tractor Loader Backhoe Operation
- Kenneth Rodgers and Juan Villegas, third place, Irrigation Assembly
- Mark Nakatsui and Juan Villegas, 10th place, Irrigation Troubleshooting.
The team also consisted of Laura Gonzalez, Lance Hassani, Joshua Klockmann, Trisha Moreira, Luke Morris, Fabiola Perez, Jesus Preciado, Cole Trouberman, and Irene Truong.
The competition also featured networking, a career fair, and scholarships for students. The Cal Poly Pomona students interviewed for jobs and internships with companies from Colorado, Louisiana, Georgia, Michigan, and Illinois, as well as California.
The advisors for this year’s team were Aaron Fox, Fred Roth, Eudell Vis, Adam Mason, Tracey Takeuchi, Jim Downer, and Oscar Del Real.
The event was formerly known as the PLANET competition. Cal Poly Pomona has a history of excellence in the competition, taking home the national team title in 2009.