LEXINGTON, Ky. – The largest-ever Wildcat Pulling Team recently returned from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) International Quarter Scale Tractor Student Design Competition in Bloomington, Ill. The University of Kentucky has participated in the competition for 25 years.

The team was made up of 19 undergraduates, two graduate students and four advisers, split into two teams. The A-Team created this year’s new tractor (Wildcat 3526) and the X-Team redesigned parts of the tractor built for last year’s competition (Wildcat 3525).

The A-Team received awards for Best Appearance, Manufacturability and Ergonomics. They won the heavyweight pull and placed seventh overall out of 24. Additionally, the A-Team ranked second in durability, fourth in the team presentation, fifth in overall design judging and sixth for their written report. The X-Team placed third overall and won both of their pulls, retiring the tractor with an undefeated record. The entire team remains undefeated in heavyweight pulls for the last three years.

William Faulkner is a recent UK graduate with a degree in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE), a joint department offering undergraduate programs at the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering and graduate programs at Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Joining the tractor team was the moment he figured out what he wanted to do with his future.

“The hands-on experience has made it for me,” Faulkner said. “Sometimes when people go into the industry, they don’t know the entire manufacturing side of things, like how things get built. It’s been cool to learn what I can do to make something work in the real world.”

Lauren Lanham, another recent UK graduate from Trigg County, has been on the pulling team since the middle of her freshman year. While she says she’s gained invaluable career experience, she’s also made long-lasting relationships on the team.

“This pulling team has become my family basically. I had no idea when I joined that I would meet my now-fiancé,” Lanham said. “But also having past members that we sometimes contact to ask questions and help us out has been special.”

Learn more about the Wildcat Pulling Team and the UK Department of BAE at https://bae.mgcafe.uky.edu/.