Northwood Tech Construction And Cabinetmaking Students Heading To Nationals

Northwood Technical College’s construction and cabinetmaking students recently competed at the SkillsUSA Wisconsin competition held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison April 25-26. Eight students competed in Team Build, Cabinetmaking, and Construction categories this year where Northwood Tech took first in all three. However, Northwood Tech didn’t just take first place in Construction, they swept the category with first, second, and third place on the podium.

Here are the SkillsUSA Wisconsin results:

• Team Build: Lucas Kuechenmeister (Frederic), Tavius Morris (Merrill), Trent Pritzl (Butternut), and Garrett Thon (New Richmond) all first place
• Cabinetmaking: Kyle Semling (Merrill), first place; Hunter Degerstrom (Dresser), fourth place
• Construction: Carson Knutson (St. Croix Falls), first place; Bryce Keilholtz (Almena), second place; and Benjamin Mayer (Wisconsin Dells), third place

“This year, we have the biggest group participating at Skills USA Nationals in Atlanta, GA. This is the first year that our program competed in the Team Build competition, and they made it to nationals on the first try. That team consists of four students including team foreman Lucas Kuechenmeister, who placed 1st at Nationals last year in Carpentry, Tavius Morris, who competed last year in Carpentry and placed 3rd at state, Garrett Thon who is a 2nd year student, and Trent Pritzl who is a first-year student. Carson Knutson will be competing in Carpentry at Nationals as a first-year student, and Kyle Semling, a second-year student who placed second in Cabinetmaking at state last year and placed first this year, will be competing at Nationals this year in Cabinetmaking,” stated Scott Theilig, construction and cabinetmaking instructor at Northwood Tech.

Six students will attend Nationals for 2023 in Atlanta, GA on June 19-23. Prior to that date, the students are hosting an Open House for their student project house that they build annually. Not only is 2023 the twentieth anniversary of the student project house, but six of the students that have been working building the home are those competing at Nationals. The Open House event will take place Thursday, May 18 from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at 2171 181/2 Street in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

[Photo: (Left to right): Garrett Thon, Bryce Keilholtz, Benjamin Mayer, Carson Knutson, Tavius Morris, Kyle Semling, Lucas Kuechenmeister, Hunter Degerstrom, and Trent Pritzl.]

For more information about the Construction and Cabinetmaking program at Northwood Tech, please visit NorthwoodTech.edu.

Northwood Tech is grateful to all its community partnerships. Your support of the Northwood Tech Foundation is essential to student success. For information on how to contribute, visit www.northwoodtech.edu/donate.

A nationally top-ranked college and a designated Silver 2023-24 Military Friendly School, Northwood Tech serves the educational and career needs of more than 15,000 residents of Northwestern Wisconsin each year. With multiple campuses, Northwood Tech offers career-focused associate degree programs, technical diplomas, short-term certificates, customized business training, and a wide array of courses for personal or career enrichment. Northwood Tech is a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org). For more information, call 800.243.9482 or visit northwoodtech.edu. Northwood Technical College is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer and Educator.