(Ames, Iowa) – The Benton County 4-H Livestock Skills interest group turned in a historic performance at the 2026 Iowa 4-H Livestock Triathlon in Ames. Held on the campus of Iowa State University, the Triathlon was a two-day event featuring competitions in Livestock Quiz Bowl, Skillathon, and Judging.
Senior teams from Benton County won State Champion honors in all three contests. The senior Livestock Judging Team of Makenna Burmeister, Jillian Hanson, Caleigh Lewis, and Rylee Short placed first in Livestock Judging and will represent Iowa at the national 4-H contest at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Ky. in November.
On that team, Jillian Hanson was High Individual of the contest, and Caleigh Lewis was 5th-place individual. Jillian Hanson also placed first in oral reasons, Rylee Short placed 8th, and the team was 2nd-place in oral reasons.
The Benton County Senior Livestock Skillathon and Quiz Bowl teams also earned first place in both events. Team members are Jillian Hanson, Caleigh Lewis, Ben Rosauer, and Samantha Zahradnik. Individually, Caleigh Lewis placed 2nd in Skillathon, while Jillian Hanson placed 3rd in Skillathon and 2nd in Quiz Bowl. They also will represent Iowa 4-H at the NAILE in Louisville…