California Takes Top Honors in the National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest

California took the top honors in the 104^th National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo^®. The California team was comprised of Kestin Martin, Lauren Silveira, Kherington Azevedo and Karley Rocha, coached by Terianne Silveira. The second-overall team, by a margin of 17 points, was the Wisconsin team of Braeden Bechel, Bryce Bechel, Ava Kolodzienski and Hannah Fesenmaier, coached by Bob Traynor, Peter Coyne and Jayne Esch. New York, Michigan and Connecticut finished out the top five teams, respectively.

Teams and individuals receiving recognition include:

Top Ten Teams – Overall:

1. California, 2046, team members: Kestin Martin, Lauren Silveira, Kherington Azevedo and Karley Rocha, coached by Terianne Silveira.
2. Wisconsin, 2029, team members: Braeden Bechel, Bryce Bechel, Ava Kolodzienski and Hannah Fesenmaier, coached by Bob Traynor, Peter Coyne and Jayne Esch.
3. New York, 1974, team members: Addyson Shawley, Josiah Freier, Hadessa Adsit and Bella Muck, coached by Dr. Douglas Waterman.
4. Michigan, 1957, team members: Austin Preston, Gracie Triick, Kelsey Gruner and Elena Tanin, coached by Lynn Olthof and Joe Domecq.
5. Connecticut, 1957, team members: Sofia Figlar, Hailey Platt, Avery Hutton and Christa Freel, coached by William Davenport and Emily Syme.
6. Minnesota, 1932, team members: Monika Frericks, Allison Ratka, Ella Lahr and Izzy Lahr, coached by Sadie Frericks, Kevin Ratka and Tara Meyer.
7. Ohio, 1924, team members: Taylor Klopfenstein, Sydney Beiting, Charlie Weiss and Maggie Rodenbucher, coached by Sherry Smith.
8. Pennsylvania, 1906, team members: Connor Servin, Alexis Servin, Wyatt Lehner and Clayton Prinkey, coached by Chad Dechow.
9. Kentucky, 1899, team members: Bailey Davidson, Caleb Lipps, Dustin Wright and Ethan Scott, coached by Larissa Tucker and Lannie Willen.
10. Florida, 1896, team members: Allie Love, Lila Bishop and Levi Larson, coached by Gene Holcomb.

Top Ten Individuals – Overall:

1. Braeden Bechel, 715, Wisconsin
2. Kestin Martin, 700, California
3. Kherington Azevedo, 683, California
4. Hadessa Adsit, 672, New York
5. Addyson Shawley, 669, New York
6. Hailey Platt, 667, Connecticut
7. Allison Ratka, 666, Minnesota
8. Gracie Triick, 665, Michigan
9. Lauren Silveira, 663, California
10. Wyatt Lehner, 662, Pennsylvania

Top Ten Teams – Reasons:

1. Wisconsin, 669, coached by Bob Traynor, Peter Coyne and Jayne Esch.
2. Michigan, 654, coached by Lynn Olthof and Joe Domecq.
3. Minnesota, 651, coached by Sadie Frericks, Kevin Ratka and Tara Meyer.
4. New York, 645, coached by Dr. Douglas Waterman.
5. California, 637, coached by Terianne Silveira.
6. Ohio, 634, coached by Sherry Smith.
7. Florida, 610, coached by Gene Holcomb.
8. Pennsylvania, 608, coached by Chad Dechow.
9. Missouri, 604, coached by Karla Deaver and Ted Probert.
10. Texas, 599, coached by Heather Jones.

Top Ten Individuals – Reasons:

1. Braeden Bechel, 232, Wisconsin
2. Gracie Triick, 229, Michigan
3. Kestin Martin, 223, California
4. Addyson Shawley, 221, New York
5. Allison Ratka, 221, Minnesota
6. Bryce Bechel, 221, Wisconsin
7. Sydney Beiting, 221, Ohio
8. Hadessa Adsit, 218, New York
9. Wyatt Lehner, 217, Pennsylvania
10. Austin Preston, 217, Michigan

The National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest is made possible in part through the generous support of Platinum Level Sponsor, STgenetics; Gold Sponsor, Hoard’s Dairyman; Silver Sponsors, FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, The Hartford Livestock Department, Randy Geiger Memorial Fund, Saloah Hageman and American Guernsey Association Youth Fund; and additional supporters including American Jersey Cattle Association, Ayars Family Farm, Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders Association, David P. Dickson Trust, Dr. Douglas Waterman, Fight Bac, Holstein Association USA, Inc., Maryland Brown Swiss Association, Judy Majeskie, National Dairy Shrine, Select Sires, Inc., Semex/Boviteq, and Trans Ova Genetics.

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo is the premier forum for the dairy community to learn, share, create commerce and showcase competition. The annual event is taking place in Madison, Wis. September 29 – October 2, 2026. Dairy producers can experience the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, a world-class dairy cattle show, attend seminars, meetings and presentations highlighting the latest and greatest in the industry and connect with other producers. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Spotify, or YouTube for more information.