State Fair Champions Celebrated in Indy
Published: Friday, September 25, 2026
The Indiana State Fair Foundation last Saturday brought together 4-H youth, families, supporters and community members for the annual Celebration of Champions, recognizing more than 100 champion 4-H exhibitors from the 2026 Indiana State Fair.
The Celebration of Champions recognizes Hoosier 4-H youth who reached the highest levels of competition at this year's State Fair. The event celebrates their hard work, dedication and achievement while providing financial awards to support their continued growth.
With the support of donors and sponsors, the Indiana State Fair Foundation raises more than $400,000 annually to provide monetary awards and host the Celebration of Champions. The investment directly supports Indiana's 4-H youth and reinforces the important role agriculture education and youth development play across the state.
"The Celebration of Champions gives us an opportunity to recognize some of the best young people from communities across Indiana," said Ray Allison, Executive Director of the Indiana State Fair Commission. "These 4-H members put in countless hours throughout the year to reach this level. We are proud to celebrate their accomplishments and the families, volunteers and communities that support them."
Champions were recognized across a wide range of 4-H projects, including livestock, animal exhibits, 4-H Exhibit Hall best of show, garden exhibit, fashion revue, demonstrations, presentations, public speaking and tractor operators.
For generations, Indiana 4-H has helped young people develop leadership, responsibility and practical skills through hands-on experiences. The Indiana State Fair is proud to provide a statewide stage where those accomplishments can be recognized and celebrated.
The list of champions include the following youths:
Market Animals
Grand champion market beef, Hadley Hendrickson; Reserve grand champion market beef, Dylan Miller; Third overall market beef, Presley Zehring; Fourth overall market beef, Lillie Sickafoose; Fifth overall market beef, Macey Banter
Grand champion market barrow, Ryder Lambright; Reserve grand champion market barrow, Kinley Merrick; Third overall market barrow, Owen Hege; Fourth overall market barrow, Tessa Ortman; Fifth overall market barrow, Bryce Ostrom
Grand champion market lamb, Caroline Sullivan; Reserve grand champion market lamb, Sophie Tressler; Third overall market lamb, Caroline Sullivan; Fourth overall market lamb, Brantley Platt; Fifth overall market lamb, Ariah Neier
Grand champion meat goat wether, Colton Kephart; Reserve grand champion meat goat wether, Caroline Sullivan
Grand champion dairy steer, Brady Bohling
Supreme champion full blood doe, Lizzie Hefner; Reserve supreme champion full blood doe, Clayton Newton; Supreme champion percentage doe, Clayton Newton; Reserve supreme champion percentage doe, Grace Ellis
Grand champion meat goat wether dam, Brantley Wampler; Reserve grand champion meat goat wether dam, Piper Unger
Breeding Animals
Supreme champion beef heifer, Cohen Kober; Reserve supreme champion beef heifer, Collin Deatsman; Third overall beef heifer, Claire Sennett; Fourth overall beef heifer, Claire Sennett; Fifth overall beef heifer, Kalen Felton
Supreme senior champion dairy female, Kadance Ford; Reserve supreme senior champion dairy female, Carson Nicley
Supreme junior champion dairy female, Ellie Bollenbacher; Reserve supreme junior champion dairy female, Robyn Ekovich
Supreme champion gilt, Mya Holderly; Reserve supreme champion gilt, Landry Rodibaugh; Third overall gilt, Preston Miller; Fourth overall gilt, Caroline Hartzell; Fifth overall gilt, Ellie Johnson
Supreme champion ewe, Oakley Rinehart; Reserve supreme champion ewe, Madalyn Crouch; Third overall ewe, Kaitlyn Schakel; Fourth overall ewe, Ansley Mendenhall; Fifth overall ewe, Kaden Derrer
Small Animals
Grand champion meat pen of rabbits, Corey Marden; Grand champion best in show rabbit, Dylan Simpson;
Grand champion commercial waterfowl, Gavin Shrader; Grand champion meat type chicken, Braylon Dorrel; Grand champion show poultry, Kallie Gettinger;
Grand champion dairy goat wether, Layna Pippenger; Reserve grand champion dairy coat wether, Logan Lund;
Supreme senior champion dairy goat doe, Alexa Lanam; Reserve supreme senior champion dairy goat doe, Cole Vanzant; Supreme junior champion dairy goat doe, Sarah Beck; Reserve supreme junior champion dairy goat doe, Colin Devlin;
Grand champion pygmy goat doe, Nolan Wilson; Reserve grand champion pygmy goat doe, Makenzie Prikosovich
Grand champion wether dam sheep, Dylan Achenbach; Reserve grand champion wether dam sheep, Hadley Parker
Horse
Horse and pony: Western champion, Kynndal Coble; Horse and pony: English champion, Brenda Calhoun; Horse and pony: contesting champion, Olivia Kelly
Llamas
Llama and Alpaca: halter best of show, Kenley Campbell; Llama and Alpaca: overall performance champion, Carlee Hodgen; Llama and Alpaca: showmanship champion, Megan Prince
Dog and Cat
Best of show dog, Kaelynn Grant; Best of show cat, Kensley Burtner
Showmanship
Supreme showman, Quentin Derrer
Fashion Revue
Consumer clothing beginner, Briley Zeller; Consumer clothing intermediate, Tinley Barnes; Consumer Clothing advanced, Vanessa Schultz; Dressup, Ellie Johnson; Formal wear, Isabella Bryan; Free choice, Alyssa Coomes; Informal or casual wea, Saylor Cadwell; Separates, Etienne Kinnear; Suit or coat, Emori Lansinger; Junior demonstration, Heidi Hickman; Junior demonstration team member 1, Isaac Davis; Junior demonstration team member 2, Braylon Rhoda; Senior demonstration, Leah Pozen; Senior demonstration, Nora Hamilton; Senior demonstratio; Victoria Deutsch; Senior demonstration team member 1, Molly Trammell; Senior demonstration team member 2, Joslyn Bumgardner; Junior informative 4-H presentation, Matthew Wesco; Senior informative 4-H presentation, Taylor Mills; Senior informative 4-H presentation, Dexter Buckley; Senior informative 4-H presentation, Chad Renner; Junior professional persuasive presentation, Matthew Wesco; Junior professional persuasive presentation team member 1, Gabrielle Wesco; Junior professional persuasive presentation team member 2, Charity Wesco; Senior professional persuasive presentation, Chad Renner; Senior professional persuasive presentation, Andrew Herbert; Senior professional persuasive presentation, Jocelyn Harmon; Senior professional persuasive presentation team member 1, Elisa Gottfried; Senior professional persuasive presentation team member 2, Elsa Haslett; Junior public speaking, Ella Smith; Senior public speaking, Eliza Hickman; Senior public speaking, Mark Kris Boye; Senior public speaking, Lucy Kaufman
Other Projects
Master rabbit ambassador, Kaylee Wales; Junior lawn and garden operator's contest, Luke Tames; Junior tractor operator's contest, Case Kohlhagen; Junior zero-turn radius lawn and garden operator's contest, Briler James; Senior lawn and garden operator's contest, Maxwell Adams; Senior tractor operator's contest, Blake Cooley; Senior zero-turn radius lawn and garden operator's contest, Mason Hannon
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