MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It wasn’t the Final Four of basketball, but for “one shining moment,” it sure felt like it for West Virginia University’s Soils Team.

The group took first place in the National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest held March 23-24 at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

In addition, Corry Calderone, a senior agronomy major from Finleyville, Pa., placed first in the individual competition, besting 82 others from across the United States.

Teammates Jared Wilmoth, a senior agronomy major from Philippi, and Kim Godbey, a senior animal and veterinary sciences major from Kenna, ranked 13th and 17th, respectively.

Some 21 collegiate teams participated in the contest. There are seven collegiate soil judging regions in the United States. Teams compete in their region, and the top teams qualify for the national contest. WVU qualified for nationals at the Southeast Regional Contest in October.

Calderone was stunned by her first-place win.

“It was a very exciting moment with everyone shaking my hand and congratulating me and the team on a job well done,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team to work with. They are a lot of fun, and kept me laughing the whole time.”

Teammate Justin Barnes, a sophomore forest resources management major from Charlottesville, Va., said, “The trip overall was awesome. One thing I can say is that being part of the team is a great learning experience because not only does everyone have a common interest and really like judging soil, it is not the only thing we do.

We got to travel to different beaches and visit different towns and vineyards.

The new location posed some challenges, though.

“The soils in California are different from soils in the east,” Barnes said. “Often times we got frustrated when we were practicing the days leading up to the contest, but we stuck with it and everything turned out for the best.”

Kent Smith, a junior pre-agriculture, forestry, and consumer sciences major from Philippi, thought the unfamiliar environment added to the excitement.

“Being able to understand the soils in a totally different place and seeing some very interesting properties of different soils, and being able to understand the soils well enough to take the national championship was a great end to a perfect week,” said Smith.

Other team members participating in the contest were: Adam Boner, a senior animal and veterinary sciences major from Jane Lew, and Randy Riddle, an agronomy major from Bethany Beach, Del.

The team is coached by Jim Thompson, assistant professor of soil science and land use in the Davis College’s Division of Plant and Soil Sciences.

“This was my first year as coach of the WVU Soils Team, and while I knew that this group of students was talented and motivated, their victory far exceeded my expectations for their first trip to the national contest,” Thompson said. “Corry’s individual championship is a credit to her focus and dedication, as well as her ability to perform under the pressure of the competition.”

The team championship, though, was truly a group effort, Thompson said.

“All seven students made valuable contributions during the individual and group judging that allowed WVU to best the defending national champion, Virginia Tech, which finished second, as well as teams from the University of Georgia (third), the University of Illinois (fourth), and Ohio State University (fifth),” Thompson added.

“Overall, it was a tremendous experience for me and the team. We all learned a great deal about the soils and landscapes in coastal California, we made new friends from other schools, and we enjoyed some of the cultural and recreational opportunities in and around San Luis Obispo. This team is a special group of students to me and I am extremely proud of them. I hope that this brings some well-deserved recognition to the great students and great programs we have here in the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences.”

Calderone isn’t content to rest on this year’s accomplishments.

“I’m looking forward to taking the soil judging class again in the fall, and I’m very hopeful that we will return to nationals again to reclaim our championship,” she said.

“It is a great feeling to be a part of the first national champion soil judging team at WVU in its history.”

-WVU-

dw/3/29/06