Published on March 30, 2026

The Lake Land College Laker Connect Dual Credit program hosted its first-ever High School Welding Competition, giving 55 local high school students a chance to showcase their skills and earn exciting prizes.

Brayden Nickle, South Vermillion High School, finished as the top senior in the competition. In recognition of his outstanding performance, Nickle received a $500 Lake Land College tuition and fee waiver in addition to a collection of professional welding equipment donated by industry partners.

Finishing second place among all senior contestants was Colten Cottrell, South Vermillion High School, while Evan Lay, Sullivan High School, claimed the third-place senior award. Among the junior contestants, Landen Miller of Mattoon High School finished first, with Jase Martin, South Vermillion High School, placing second and Michael Althoff, Teutopolis High School, placing third. All students who were recognized received valuable prizes donated by industry partners, including professional welding equipment to support their future welding ambitions.

“We at Lake Land College thank all the students and teachers for joining us for this inaugural event. We were thrilled to see so much excitement among the students competing, and we look forward to seeing the event grow moving forward,” said Director of Dual Credit Tessa Wiles. “We also want to give a special thank you to all the industry partners who generously sponsored this competition and donated their time as well as awesome prizes to make this event possible.”

The following high schools participated in the Welding Competition: Charleston, Cowden-Herrick, Cumberland, Effingham, Mattoon, Neoga, Paris, Ramsey, Shelbyville, South Vermillion, Stewardson-Strasburg, Sullivan and Teutopolis.

The Laker Connect Dual Credit High School Welding Competition was made possible by the following industry partners, who served as professional judges, event sponsors and donated prizes for the event: Boilermakers, Bruder Tank, Evapco, Irwin Seating, McFarland Steel, New York Blower, Safety Storage and Weldstar.

For more information about the Lake Land College Laker Connect Dual Credit program visit the Lake Land College website at LakeLandCollege.edu/Dual-Credit/.