Penn State football coach Joe Paterno once said the will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.

Ohio state graduate Natalie Miller said preparation was essential to her success on OSU’s intercollegiate livestock judging team.

On Nov. 17, the preparation paid off — Miller was recognized as an All-American at the National Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest award ceremony.

“It’s the highlight of my year,” Miller said. “I put off graduating last spring to be a part of this team and to be named All-American is more than rewarding.”

Miller was one of 10 students selected for the recognition given at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky. She is the ninth Buckeye to be recognized with the honor since the establishment of the award in 2000.

“It truly reflects the total character of a student,” said Tom Turner, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences and coach of OSU’s livestock judging team.

The recognition is granted every year to students who show a commitment to livestock judging, as well as maintaining success in the classroom and being involved with student activities.

Miller said she believes her internship background had a big impact, as well as studying abroad in Brazil with a focus on agriculture.
Miller also had plenty of early experience in agriculture, competing in contests for Future Farmers of America and the 4-H Club, a national youth organization founded by the Department of Agriculture.

Teammate Christina Egner also competed against Miller in these competitions, and has the same alma mater: Shelby High School.
“We are the first two to come from the same high school and be members of the team at the same time,” Egner said. “It has been an honor to compete alongside her this season and watch her
development.”

OSU’s livestock judging team started training last spring. It finished last in its first of six competitions but eventually won one competition and finished second in two before qualifying for the national competition.

The team had eight members and the competitions consisted of 12 rounds of judging animals based on several categories.
“You are split into groups and taken to pens of four different animals, and you rank them based on muscle and fat, structure, as well as how well they move and how well they were put together,” Miller said.

In the final round, the contestant must explain to a panel of judges the decisions made and reasons behind them. It is worth a maximum of 1,000 points — the highest total takes the win.
Egner said Miller became so well versed at public speaking that it was awe-inspiring. But Miller occasionally faced doubts during the year.

“One contest I would be No. 1 and another contest Tim [Wyszynski] would be No. 1,” she said. “He pushed me and I always wanted to be as good as he was at giving reasons and I wanted to sound like him.”

Wyzynski said it was an amazing experience to be a part of the Livestock Judging Team and that it taught him things about the industry he can use later down the road.

Turner “was not teaching us to win contests. He helped us get common knowledge about the animals and apply them in the jobs we will [pursue],” he said. “Each one of us brought something to this team.”

Members have only one year of eligibility to compete for the livestock judging team.