Delhi Students Place in Top 10 at National Turf Bowl 2024

SUNY Delhi’s golf and sports turf management majors had an impressive run in the National Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition this January. Held at the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Conference and Trade Show in Phoenix, AZ, the annual competition pits turf management majors from colleges and universities around North America against each other in a series of rigorous tests and challenges. Out of 64 teams that included students from large universities such as Purdue and Penn State, a team from SUNY Delhi placed tenth.

The students on the team were Justin Ace, Drew Romanski, Brenden Thompson, and Mason Wicks. A total of 20 students from SUNY Delhi, making up five teams, participated in the competition.

“This is a major achievement, and we are proud of the students,” says Instructor Ryan Abbate, who accompanied the students on the trip, along with Associate Professor Benjamin Czyzewski and Instructional Support Associate Julia Ward. “We have been taking our students to the Turf Bowl for over 20 years and started consistently placing in the top 10 several years ago, even taking second place in 2022. We almost expect them to excel at this point, because they are eager to carry on that legacy.”

In the competition, students’ knowledge is tested in agronomy, business management, turfgrass management, environmental management, and plant science. Student teams are challenged to identify physical and visual samples of plants and equipment and answer a wide variety of questions. Top ten teams received monetary awards.

“The test is incredibly difficult, and the students have to go above and beyond what they are taught in class,” says Czyzewski. “Preparing to compete in the Turf Bowl every year has become part of the culture in our turf program. Students start competing in their first year, which is not common in other schools. Juniors and seniors take the younger students under their wing. They are very competitive and passionate about the industry and look forward to the competition every year.”

Drew Romanski, one of the students in Delhi’s top 10 team, has competed in the Turf Bowl since his freshman year. Now a senior, he enjoys networking and learning about industry innovation at the trade show but considers the Turf Bowl the highlight of the event. Romanski credits his professors for SUNY Delhi’s success against bigger universities.

“Our professors are so dedicated to all the students in the program; we’re not just a name on a roster to them,” he says. “They are our motivation to represent Delhi and put our name on the map in the industry. I can’t speak highly enough about them.”

Romanski describes Delhi’s golf and sports turf management program as “very hands-on.”

“You not only learn in the classroom but outside as well. We’re working in the field on the College Golf Course, doing real-world projects, and visiting other golf courses. We also do many internships. It prepares us for great jobs in the industry.”

Romanski interned with the New York Mets last summer and has just started his final internship with the American Family Fields, the spring training complex of the Milwaukee Brewers, in Phoenix in Arizona. For the last three months of the internship, he will be in Chicago with the Chicago Cubs. These experiences have prepared him to manage sports turfs from cold climates to deserts. His career goal is to work in the Major League Baseball setting ashead groundskeeper.

“I can’t thank Delhi enough,” he says. “My time here at Delhi has been incredible. I found what I love to do. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”

About the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference and Trade Show

The GCSAA Conference and Trade Show is the biggest turf industry event in the nation, drawing over 10,000 attendees and nearly 500 exhibitors annually.

About Golf and Sports Turf Management at SUNY Delhi

SUNY Delhi is a national leader in golf and grounds management with alumni managing the grounds and maintenance at golf courses and sports facilities across the U.S.  Delhi's associate program in Golf and Sports Turf Management and bachelor's program in Golf Course Management were developed with the input of industry experts. The bachelor's program is the only program in the Northeast that combines the science of turf management with business and communications proficiency.

Golf and Sports Turf Management (AAS)
Golf Course Management (BBA)