Stephen F. Austin State University’s timbersports team, the Sylvans, recently won the 39th annual Arkansas State Lumberjack Competition.
In addition to winning the competition, the team, comprising 26 SFA students, won every event in the collegiate division.
“We are proud of the Sylvans’ fine showing in Arkansas,” said Dr. Hans Williams, dean of SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. “Not only has the team competed well, but they have also represented themselves and SFA exceptionally well.”
The team is led by Dr. Jeremy Stovall, SFA professor of silviculture, and achieved a perfect score of 35 points. Competing against the Sylvans, the University of Arkansas at Monticello placed second with 26 points while Louisiana Tech University placed third with 17 points.
Collegiate division winners representing the Sylvans included Luke Bludworth, Sawyer Singer, Jacob Sanders, Holly Parkin and Becky Rhoden. Collectively, they secured the first-place finish in Axe Throwing, Underhand Chop, Double Buck Crosscut, Jack and Jill Crosscut, Single Buck Crosscut, Women’s Bowsaw and Men’s Bowsaw.
Accompanying the team, four recent SFA alumni also competed in eight different events in the professional division. Similar to the students, they achieved success and earned nearly $500 in prizes.
The competition was officiated by Ken Bragg, a 1972 graduate of SFA and a member of the Arkansas State House of Representatives. It was organized in part by Karl Hansen, a current employee with Resource Management Service who received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry from SFA in 1977 and 1980, respectively.
By Amy Neal, external communications specialist for the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University
