Contact: Sammy McDavid
A four-person team from Mississippi State is nesting the top award of the 2002 national collegiate poultry-judging contest.
Seniors Corey Davis of Fulton and Shelley Hill of Laurel, along with juniors Ellen Phillips of Bay Springs and Judd Stevens of Clara, recently defeated 10 other university teams.
The 55th annual competition of the United States Poultry and Egg Association was held this year at Louisiana State University. The student challenge involves three divisions--production, breed selection and market products--with team and individual awards presented in each division and for overall achievement.
Senior team coach Tim Chamblee said the quartet of MSU poultry science majors, in addition to taking overall first-place honors, finished first in production, second in market products and third in breed selection.
"Individually, Corey Davis finished first overall, first in production and fifth in breed selection," the associate professor of poultry science added. "Ellen Phillips was fourth overall and second in production, while Shelly Hill was fourth in production."
Jimmy Rushing of Louisville is assistant team coach.