A trio of Cal Poly Pomona plant science students won $5,000 earlier this month at the annual Collegiate Turf Bowl.
The team of Magdaleno Basilio, Joel Torres, and Jaxx Curiel finished in ninth place at the 32nd GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowl, which was held Feb. 4 in Orlando, Fla.
It was the highest finish by a West Coast team and the 12th consecutive year that a Cal Poly Pomona team finished in the top 10.
Sponsored by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), the Turf Bowl tests students on their knowledge of turfgrass, insects, plant diseases, and equipment, as well as employment laws, accounting and financial management principles, and how to evaluate the water needs of turf.
In total, Cal Poly Pomona sent five teams of students to compete in the event. Here’s how the other four teams finished:
- Matt Parada, Marty Munoz, Matthew Marin, and Ariana Kosmicki: 35th place
- Erin McCowan, Jayden Set, Isaiah Baldo, Vanessa Rodriguez: 53rd place
- Isis Tapia, Sage Drohan, Jacqueline Serna, and America Garcia: 54th place
- Medina Vargas, Isaiah Gonzalez, and Sukhrajpreet Kaur: 78th
Lecturer Sean McLaughlin advised the teams; Joshua Mendez and Brian Fuertes also helped coach and advise the teams.
Overall, 79 teams from 33 colleges and universities from across North America participated in the Turf Bowl. A Penn State University team took first place.
Cal Poly Pomona’s long history of success at the Turf Bowl includes winning the event in 2020, becoming the first winning team to come from the West Coast and to include female members.
Students who have worked in Cal Poly Pomona’s Center for Center for Turf, Irrigation, and Landscape Technology (CTILT) have found work in the golf course, sports, irrigation, and landscaping industry, including at Angels Stadium and Disneyland.
