UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A team of four students from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences was named National Collegiate Beef Quiz Bowl champion in late January at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's annual convention in Nashville, Tenn.

Team members -- all seniors majoring in animal sciences -- are Lori Connelly of Pennsylvania Furnace, a graduate of State College Area High School; LeeAnn Tice of Middlebury Center, a graduate of Cowanesque Valley High School; Sarah Kreiser of Annville, a graduate of Annville Cleona High School; and Jennifer Flinchbaugh of York, a graduate of Dallastown Area High School. Faculty member Dan Kniffen accompanied the team to Tennessee.

"We couldn't be more proud of our quiz bowl team members and their performance in this highly competitive event," says Robert Steele, dean of the college. "Our college places a great value on the benefits our students get from competing in regional and national events, and it's wonderful to see their hard work earn them this national recognition."

Teams competing in the national quiz bowl qualified by winning regional competitions in the American Society of Animal Science "Quadratholon." Penn State beat out teams from Michigan State University, the University of Florida and the University of Wyoming. Winning the event is nothing new for the Nittany Lions; Penn State represented the Northeast in 10 of the last 11 years and won the quiz bowl in 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000 and 2001. It finished second in 1998 and 1999.

The quiz bowl is sponsored by the National Cattlemen's Foundation, a charitable institution whose mission is to promote the future of the beef industry.

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Contact: Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-863-9877 fax #109