Members of the SIU Horticulture Association Club team, from left to right, Gabrielle Spencer, Loren Koenigstein, Jonathan Henson, and Emma Lagerhausen. (Photo provided)
March 09, 2022
SIU Horticulture Club does well in competition
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Four members of the student Horticulture Club at Southern Illinois University Carbondale recently received a total of seven different awards during a competition with students from across the southern part of the country.
The students were honored at the Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science Association of Collegiate Branches Competition, held Feb. 12 in New Orleans. Alan Walters, professor and chair of SIU’s horticulture program, and Lisa Doyle, horticulture instructor, accompanied the SIU team, which took home second place overall in the competition.
“We should be proud of the accomplishments of our SIU horticulture team, as they garnered numerous awards during the competition,” Doyle said.
Emma Lagerhausen, senior in crop, soil, and environmental management with a specialization in crop production, from Shumway, brought home first place in the coveted Club Share Presentation award, with a unanimous vote by all universities attending. She also was elected president of the association.
Jonathan Henson, senior in plant biology from Herrin, and Loren Koenigstein, senior in agribusiness economics from Columbia, tied for first place in the Greenhouse Foliage & Floral Crops Identification Contest. Henson also was elected treasurer of the association.
Gabrielle Spencer, senior in landscape horticulture, from Maroa, won second place in Vegetable Crops Judging.
The team also placed second in Greenhouse Foliage and Floral Crops Identification, and third in Woody Ornamental Identification.
“These students are some of the best and brightest in the country and exemplify the spirit of SIU,” Walters said. “They represented our university very well and showed that we are a top U.S. institution for horticulture education.”