Mt. SAC Turf Team Mows the Competition at Contest

The Mt. SAC Turf Team recently mowed the competition at the Sports Field Management Association’s annual contest, taking first, second and third place and beating out major universities.

Three teams of four competed in the Student Challenge, a two-hour exam testing knowledge of the sports turf industry, covers subjects as diverse as Turfgrass Identification, Selection and Morphology, Soil Management, Soil Fertility, Water Management, Drainage, Turfgrass Mathematics, Pest Identification and Management, and both turf and non-turf Sports Field Management.

The Mt. SAC teams, under the direction of Professor Chaz Perea, beat out agriculture science powerhouses Penn State, Iowa State, Virginia Tech, and Ohio State. Only one other community college – Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa – participated.

The College offers only two turf courses, so Perea tutored students Friday nights for 21 weeks to prepare them for the contest.

“This is like an academic decathlon for turf,” said Perea, who himself competed in the competition as a student in 2009, 2010, and 2011. “I’m thrilled at our win, especially after having to rebuild the program following the pandemic.”

The winning teams receive a cash award, a plaque and medallions for each team member. The prize money benefits Mt. SAC’s Sports Turf Management program and creates opportunities for students pursuing a career in sports field management.

Mt. SAC offers an associate degree of science in Park and Sports Turf Management, and two certificates, one in Park Management and one in Sports Turf Management.