When NALP CEO Britt Wood asked students during the closing ceremony of the 50th National Collegiate Landscape Competition, presented by NALP and powered by STIHL, on March 21, 2026, if they had learned something new or met someone new, they answered with a resounding yes.
Photo: Jill Odom/NALP
Wood thanked Mother Nature for providing great weather for the competition day, along with host school Michigan State University and MSU professor Marcus Duck for all his hard work. He also recognized the many industry partners who give of their time and money to support NCLC, including elite partners Aspire, Caterpillar, Stanley Black & Decker and STIHL.
Jenn Myers, senior director of workforce development, recognized this year’s scholarship recipients, a record number of 86 students. She also announced this year’s Outstanding Educator of the Year is Todd West with North Dakota State University, and the Kevin Kehoe Student Leader of the Year is Joshua Fain with Auburn University.
The three superstar students this year are Nate Hawks with Michigan State in first place, Josiah Hull with Cuyahoga Community College in second place and Connor Lejman with College of DuPage in third place.
The top 10 schools of the 50th NCLC are listed below.
- Cuyahoga Community College
- Brigham Young University – Provo
- Mississippi State University
- Colorado State University
- Michigan State University
- Kansas State University
- University of Missouri
- Penn State
- Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
- Brigham Young University – Idaho
Next year’s NCLC will be hosted at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 17-20, 2027.
For the full final results, go to landscapecompetition.org.
