And the Turf Bowl winners are . . .

The preparation of GCSAA's 18th annual Collegiate Turf Bowl have been going on for months -- even years if you think about how long the students have been taking turfgrass-related courses -- but the big kick-off was Wednesday night at the Top of the Riv in the Riviera Hotel. Rhett Evans, GCSAA's CEO, welcomed the students, their mentors and the volunteer proctors to their last supper before the competition began on Thursday morning. Evans warned students, "The competition is stiff. Where are the Iowa State folks? That's the team to beat!"

Stephen Vincent from John Deere Golf, which has sponsored the competition for three years, also addressed the students, saying that working the golf industry requires hard work, brains, and achievement. He said that sometimes students might not be recognized for their hard work on the golf course, but they can take pride and have a sense of personal accomplishment in a job well done.

Most students called it an early night on Wednesday and arrived in plenty of time for the 7 a.m. breakfast on Thursday. At one table, four members of a team from the University of Guelph discussed their journey to Las Vegas. Kevin Moores, Cam Shaw, Brent McDougall, Jordan Barber (and two other Guelph students who were not present) decided they would form two teams that would compete in the Turf Bowl. The students did not have an academic advisor. ("We didn't know that we needed one," said Shaw.) Nonetheless, they collected enough donations from three companies to purchase matching shirts and jackets and pay half their travel costs. Although they may not have a lot of experience, the students said that they want to start a tradition at Guelph and hope that future generations of Guelph students will participate in the Turf Bowl.

Thursday afternoon the winner the Turf Bowl were announced at the John Deere booth on the trade show floor. And the winners are:

1. Iowa State
2. University of Massachusetts-Amherst 
3. University of Maryland
4. University of Wisconsin-Madison
5. University of Arkansas
6. Purdue University
7. University of Maryland 
8. University of Connecticut
9. Purdue University
10. Penn State University