Students participated in 107 hands-on contests. First-place winners qualify for the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Championships Conference planned for June 23-27 in Kansas City.

Central Nebraska high school winners include:

Leslie Steel of Grand Island High School, third in architectural drafting; Cody Fredricksen of Grand Island High School, first in carpentry; Gavin Jager of Ravenna High School, third in motorcycle technology; Adam Straight of Grand Island High School, first in technical drafting.

Students from the SkillsUSA chapters at Central Community College in Columbus and Hastings also competed; area winners from CCC-Hastings include:

David Shuck, first in collision repair technology; Scott Bohn of Gibbon and Chris Sayers, first and second in diesel equipment technology; Casey Stout of Gibbon, first in welding champion post-secondary; and Salvadore LeJune, Josh Halte of Grand Island and Joseph Burns, first, second and third in automotive parts;

Quiz bowl winners were Halte and Anthony Weber of Hastings, first; Tom Kastens of Hastings and Brian Krick of Spalding, third.

Technical team problem solving winners were: Anthony Usasz-Keber of Albion, Ricky Schweitzer of Arnold, Kurtis Einspahr of Bartlett and Casey Stout of Burwell, members of Team C; first; and Will Ondrak of Wood River, a member of Team D, third .

In welding fabrication, Einspahr and Anthony Luft of Ravenna took third place.

Dustin Scott of Arcadia and a student at CCC-Columbus, placed second in first aid/CPR.