Winners announced in IVCC's 2nd annual Welding Competition

Thirty young welders competed in the Second Annual Welding Competition hosted by Illinois Valley Community College and the American Welding Society (AWS) on Saturday, April 13.

Students from high school and college were challenged to test their skills in various welding techniques to win prizes, including one $500 cash prize, two $1,000 scholarships from AWS, and other awards such as welding helmets and gear. The competition drew 11 college competitors and 20 high school competitors.

Event sponsors included Vactor Manufacturing, Carus, Valley Fabrication Inc, On Site Repair Services, HCC, Inc., Constellation and Trademark Services. Vactor representatives were available to share industry knowledge and business insights with the students.

The results are as follows:

High School Shielded Metal Arc Welding -- Niles Tremper, LaSalle, first; Kenneth Mullins, Sublette, second; Erik Amaral, Henry, third; Zach Wehr, Henry, fourth; Keaton Yedinak, Blackstone, fifth.

College SMAW -- Brady Wawerski, Ottawa, first; Gino Fascetta, Ottawa, second; Kevin Pinter, Mendota, third.

College Gas Metal Arc Welding -- Javier Montes, Cornell, first; Kevin Pinter, Mendota, second; Gino Fascetta, Ottawa, third.

A video of the competition has just been released. Here’s where you can view it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-BVpVAuOoI&t=1s.