AMES, Iowa — An Iowa State University Turf Club student team won the 2012 Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition last week at the annual Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Education Conference. It was the 12th time over the past 14 years an ISU team has won the competition, which is 18 years old. Iowa State competed against 87 teams from 44 U.S. colleges and universities. The winning team members, who are all horticulture majors, include Isaac Mertz, senior of Panora; Casey Sheehy, junior of Perry; Dan Strey, senior of Cherry Valley, Ill.; and Shane Lohman, senior of New Haven, Mo. The team is coached by Nick Dunlap, grad student in horticulture, and the advisor is Nick Christians, university professor of horticulture. "The team's success this year, and in the past, is a testament to the strength of the underlying horticulture curriculum," said Christians. "Pathology is taught by a pathologist, Mark Gleason; entomology is taught by an entomologist, Donald Lewis; and physiology is taught by a physiologist, Fei Shuizhang. In addition, we have one of the best soils groups in the country from the agronomy department." The team was awarded a traveling trophy and a $4,000 cash prize, which goes to the ISU Turf Club. The competition, sponsored by John Deere Golf, consists of a written exam and a written essay. A video produced by the GCSAA about this year's Turf Bowl is online.