(KNSI) – A half-dozen students at St. Cloud Technical & Community College are moving on to nationals after finishing first in a state auto repair competition.
Students were able to showcase their abilities in the garage at the annual Minnesota SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference. They demonstrated their knowledge in auto body collision, automotive service, electrical construction, heating/air conditioning/refrigeration, and truck maintenance.
First-place winners at the state can compete at the National Leadership and Skills Conference from June 23rd through the 27th in Louisville, Kentucky. Kaden George of Delano, William Kuhn from Monticello, Zech Anderson from Princeton, Lucas Kunstleben from Brainerd, LJ Olsen from Foley, and Cade Barringer from Becker qualify to make the trip.
SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school, college, and middle school students preparing for trade careers. The organization serves more than 413,000 students and instructors.
Results:
Auto Body Collision Technology:
Kolby Wagner and Peyton Rudolph competed in Automotive Refinishing and Collision Repair Technology competitions. Lucas Kunstleben, from Brainerd, competed in the same competitions at the high school level. Kunstleben placed first in Automotive Refinishing and second in Collision Repair.
Automotive Service Technician:
LJ Olsen and Tyler Stewart competed at the school’s Automotive Service Technology competition, and Mohamed Abdi competed at the high school level. Olsen, from Foley, placed first.
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration:
Blake Niska competed in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration skills, and Cade Barringer competed at the high school level. Barringer, from Becker, placed first, and Niska, from Cokato, placed third.
Medium/Heavy Truck Technician:
Brent Boos, Jacob Fieke, Brian Keppers, Xander Naner, Nicholas Pederson, and Nicholas Sakry from Medium/Heavy Truck all competed at the conference against more than 50 students across the state. Sakry placed in the top five – the Diesel Equipment Technology skills test is the largest of the competitions.
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