Students continued to bring the energy during the closing ceremony of the 49th National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC), presented by NALP and powered by STIHL, on March 22, 2025.
NALP CEO Britt Wood told the 770 participants how impressed he was with them and thanked the host school, Colorado State University. He recognized CSU faculty members Chris Tragakes, Scott Curry and Zach Johnson for their work on NCLC.
Woods also expressed his appreciation to the industry partners who support the event both financially and with sweat equity, including elite partners Aspire, Caterpillar, Stanley Black & Decker and STIHL.
He also presented the #RealSTIHL Spirit Award to Piedmont Technical College, while Connor Lejman with College of DuPage won the Gravely Get Social individual social media award.
Jenn Myers, executive director of the NALP Foundation and senior director of workforce development, highlighted the Foundation’s efforts to reach elementary and high school children through Roblox and SkillsUSA, respectively. She recognized the 83 scholarship recipients who were honored during the NALP Foundation Scholarship breakfast.
Myers also thanked NCLC chair David Grover for serving for the past three years. She announced the 2025 Outstanding Educator of the Year is Jason Walker with Mississippi State University, and the Kevin Kehoe Student Leader of the Year is Francisco Garcia with College of DuPage.
Grover shared the inspiring story of the University of Wisconsin – Platteville’s perseverance to participate in NCLC. The team had rented a van to make the 13-hour drive to Fort Collins when they got caught in a blizzard. The weather forced the group to spend the night in a hotel without power. Before they could get back on the road the next day, they had to wait several hours in line to get gas.
Despite all these setbacks, the University of Wisconsin – Platteville’s team reached CSU on Thursday night in time to compete on Friday. Grover said their dedication, as well as all the other bright and focused student competitors, give him hope for the future of the industry.
The three superstar students this year are Alexsis Perrmann with Cincinnati State Technical and Community College in first place, Christine Kermond with Cuyahoga Community College in second place and Nate Hawks with Michigan State University in third place.
The top 10 schools of the 49th NCLC are listed below.
- Brigham Young University – Provo
- Cuyahoga Community College
- Colorado State University
- Michigan State University
- Mississippi State University
- Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
- North Carolina State University
- Penn State
- Virginia Tech
- Brigham Young University – Idaho
Next year’s NCLC will be hosted at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, on March 18-21, 2026.
For the full final results, go to landscapecompetition.org.
