The University of Tennessee captured the all products team title at the 100th Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest, which was again hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA).
Charlie White, Tennessee’s coach, was recognized as Coach of the Year, and was presented with the Aurelia and George Weigold Coach’s Award. Tennessee was presented with the Shirley Seas Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded annually to the university that places first in the all products category.
The University of Missouri, coached by Richard Linhardt, finished second in all-products, while Clemson University, coached by Sara Cothran, finished third.
Kevin Trieu of the University of Missouri captured top individual honors in the all-products category, while Rassameeporn (Ploy) Wongkeaitaroom of Tennessee finished second and Lucy Jeter of Clemson finished third. Tennessee’s Yuly Correa-Gonzalez was the top grad student in all products, while teammate, Laura Lee Parson, finished second.
Jessemy Sharp of South Dakota State received the Joe Larson Merit Award, which honors an undergraduate student that best upholds the ideals of the contest.
This year’s Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest was dedicated to all past contestants, judges, coaches, and volunteers. Throughout its history, which dates back to 1916 when it was known as the “Students Butter Judging Contest,” the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest has served as a premier platform for students to showcase their expertise in sensory evaluation, quality assessment, and product knowledge.
Winners in the contest were:
Cheddar Cheese
Clemson University took first in the Cheddar category, followed by Tennessee in second place and Penn State in third place.
Clemson’s Lucy Jeter was the top individual Cheddar judge. Novonesis sponsors the top undergraduate Cheddar judge and coach to attend the 2025 United States Championship Cheese Contest, where she will have the opportunity to evaluate cheese with experts in the field.
Second place in the Cheddar category went to Clemson’s Adam Kasian, while third place went to Justin Van Middendorp of South Dakota State.
Penn State’s Andrew Paff was the top graduate student Cheddar judge.
Industry Cheddar judges were Brandon Prochaska, Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (CDR); Valerie Stastny, USDA; Laura Enriquez, Edlong Corporation; and Jackie Seibel and Claire Collins of Sartori Cheese.
Butter
Penn State captured first place in the butter category, followed by South Dakota State in second and Missouri in third.
SDSU’s Jessemy Sharp was the top individual butter judge, followed by Cal Poly’s Jacob Morgan in second and Penn State’s Grace Hwang and Missouri’s Allie Meadows tied for third. SDSU’s Ifra Tun Nur was the top graduate student butter judge.
Ron Thompson of Continental Dairy Facilities was the lead butter judge. Other industry butter judges included Matt Buss, Allied Blending; Josh Busby, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA); Allison Reynolds and Lydia Meredith, USDA; and Oliver Janevski, Leprino Foods.
Cottage Cheese
Tennessee took first place in the creamed cottage cheese category, followed by Missouri in second place and Penn State in third.
Priya Yogesh Patel of Tennessee was the top individual cottage cheese judge, followed by Penn State’s Grace Hwang in second and Missouri’s Abagail Wagner in third. Tennessee’s Yuly Correa-Gonzalez was the top graduate student cottage cheese judge.
Doug Allen of Denali Ingredients was the lead judge. Other industry cottage cheese judges included Gary Pieper, Novonesis; Hoss Langhoff, Saputo Dairy Foods (retired); Phil Brown, IFF; and Charlie Mack, Prairie Farms.
Fluid Milk
Missouri captured first place in the fluid milk category, followed by South Dakota State in second place and Tennessee in third.
Caden Bramstedt of the University of Wisconsin-Madison was the top individual milk judge, followed by SDSU’s Wyatt Zehr in second and Missouri’s Kevin Trieu in third. Tennessee’s Laura Lee Parson was the top graduate student milk judge.
Jane Zeien of Denali Ingredients was the lead industry milk judge. Other industry milk judges included Tom Gruetzmacher and Barry Stevens, both retired; Julie TiaTia, Marathon Cheese; and Justin Larson, Derek Janssen and Rebecca Hummel, Mars Wrigley.
Yogurt
Tennessee took first place in the yogurt category, followed by Cal Poly in second and South Dakota State in third.
Tennessee’s Priya Yogesh Patel was the top individual yogurt judge, followed by Missouri’s Allie Meadows in second and Tennessee’s Wongkeaitaroom in third. SDSU’s Ifra Tun Nur was the top graduate student yogurt judge.
Industry judges were Don Tribby, IFF; Herb Wyckoff, Crest; Vanessa Teter; Kevin Harrah, Corbion; Troy Hancock, Valley Natural; Natasha Scherber, Kovalus; and Kurt Everson.
Ice Cream
Cal Poly captured the ice cream category, followed by Clemson in second and SDSU in third.
Rachel Papa of Clemson was the top individual ice cream judge, followed by Cal Poly’s Isabella Yencho in second and Cal Poly’s Victoria Chau in third. Tennessee’s Laura Lee Parson was the top graduate student ice cream judge.
David Hoyda of Tate and Lyle was the lead industry ice cream judge. Other industry ice cream judges included Scott Halverson, Denali Ingredients; Joe Loquasto, Crest Foods; Tori Boomgaarden, Artisan Row; and Chuck Yarris, Dairy Consulting..
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