Iowa State Places Third at Turf Bowl, and Sports Field Management Association Student Challenge
February 9, 2026Iowa State placed 3rd in the Student Challenge (Four-Year) hosted by the Sports Field Management Association in partnership with the SAFE Foundation. The third-place team included Logan McDonough, Matthew Hanten, Hayden Spore, and Benjamin Kuiters. Also taking part were Luke Moen, Luke Youmans, Sam Tuttle, and Sawyer Hanson. A total of 28 two- and four-year teams participated from schools across the United States.
Iowa State also placed 2nd at the Turf Bowl hosted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and sponsored by John Deere, earning $12,000 for the Turf Club. The second-place team included Logan McDonough, Matthew Hanten, Cooper Hastings, and Quinn Leland. There were 79 teams from 33 schools across the United States and Canada. This is our highest finish since 2019.
Both contests include live plant identification, pest identification and management, agronomics, mathematics, and other facets. Interestingly, each student listed works for Iowa State in some capacity during the school year (Athletics, Rec Services, Veenker, and Turfgrass Research). Attached are a couple pictures.