On a chilly March morning in Provo, Utah, college students from across the country gathered at Brigham Young University to participate in the 2024 National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) irrigation assembly event. 

Thirty teams of two were poised with construction tools as the clock was set for a 2-hour assembly time. Spectators assembled to cheer on their classmates and alma maters. An air horn shattered the tension in the air, and the teams began a frantic race to see who could build an irrigation system first. 

Each year, the National Association of Landscape Professionals holds NCLC at a different collegiate campus. North American universities, community colleges, and technical schools bring teams for a week of landscape industry education, hands-on experience, and competitions. Touted as the “Landscape Olympics,” students from these schools compete in all aspects of landscape profession tasks, such as design, plant identification, equipment operation, arbor maintenance and, of course, irrigation assembly. 

For years, Hunter has sponsored the irrigation assembly event with the help of industry partners from Ewing^® Outdoor Supply, American Society of Irrigation Consultants, NIBCO^®, Westlake Turf & Irrigation, Precision Pumping Systems^®, and others. Hunter develops a two-station plan with varying overhead devices and micro irrigation components along with the appropriate materials to install the small system. 

As the clock ticked down for the competitors, teams feverishly hustled to glue pipe, adjust spray heads, and wire valves. Spectators roared, sending energy to their teams. The air horn sounded once more, signaling the end of the competition. Students dropped their tools, released sighs, and received a hearty round of applause. 

Irrigation assembly is one of the most difficult competitions during the NCLC’s week of events. Hunter Industries is grateful to all the schools that participated in this year’s irrigation assembly competition with special congratulations going to the top performers:  

           First Place:                Brigham Young University Idaho

Second Place:          Colorado State University

   Third Place:               Mississippi State University

Colorado State University will host next year’s competition from March 19 to 22, 2025. Interested in participating as a school? Hoping to get irrigation training to prepare for the competition? Looking for ways to volunteer? Contact Warren.Gorowitz@HunterIndustries.com or Bryce.Carnehl@HunterIndustries.com for more information.