Knox County Career Center's Landscape & Ag Technology program earned first place at the 11th Ohio High School Landscape Olympics, a contest organized by the Ohio Green Industry Association and held at Ohio State University's Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster.
The win follows a third-place finish in 2025 and consecutive first-place finishes in 2021 and 2022.
According to the report, the career center's students entered 20 events alongside competitors from 15 other schools, with 169 competitors overall, and reached the medal stand in 12 of those events. Three KCCC students ranked among the top five individuals: senior Weston Bostic took first, senior Ethan Hurlow second and junior AJ Salmons fourth.
Among event results released by the career center, Bostic won compact excavator and skid steer, Wyatt Payne won herbaceous plant identification, Bostic and Hurlow won sod installation, and Hurlow and Trey Stuntz won irrigation. Second-place finishes went to Hurlow and Jaxon Plumly in landscape maintenance operations and truck & trailer, Landon Boyd in mini track loader, and Nealie Oliver, Salmons and Alexia Wine in plant installation.
Instructor John Campbell said he was proud of the students, described their approach as meticulous and credited their performance across the day, while thanking the industry professionals who judged each event and met with students.
The Olympics are described as hands-on competition planned, run and scored by industry sponsors, and are open to any Ohio high school or career center with a horticulture program.