For the tenth year in a row, a Diesel Technology student from Salina Area Technical College won gold at the statewide SkillsUSA competition in Hutchinson.

Jace Schowengerdt, a junior at Salina Central High School, won gold in the high school division of the Diesel Equipment Technology competition, held in late April.

Also winning gold was Keaton Blake, a senior at Southeast of Saline High School, in the high school division of the Precision Machining event.

In the post-secondary Computer Aided Drafting competition, Riley Bohl of Minneapolis earned silver.

By winning first place in his event, Schowengerdt qualified to represent Kansas at the SkillsUSA national competition in Atlanta, Georgia at the end of June; the event Blake earned gold in does not have a competition at the national level.

SkillsUSA is a nationwide organization serving more than 280,000 high school and college students and professionals who are enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health care.

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Photo via Salina Area Technical College: From Left Jace Schowengerdt, Keaton Blake, and Riley Bohl.