Area 4-H'ers Win Big at Indy
Published: Friday, August 15, 2025
Area livestock exhibitors basked in the spotlight on Sunday during the Supreme Drive at the Indiana State Fair. Among the big winners were Colt McComb of Noble County, Breanne Freeman of St. Joseph County and Ellie Bollenbacher of Marshall County.
Competing in the gilt show, McComb's crossbred champion was selected as the best of the 11 animals showing for the supreme champion honor. Hayden Everhart of Madison County captured the reserve supreme champion banner with his champion Berkshire. Ben Hartzell and Hadley Yoder, both of Elkhart County, also competed in the Supreme Drive with their champion Hampshire and Poland China gilts, respectively. Morgan Paschen of LaPorte County was also in the mix with her champion Landrace.
There was one other area winner in the swine show, Isaiah Jones of Huntington County, who had the reserve champion Hereford gilt.
In the dairy heifer show, Freeman was one of two area exhibitors to compete for the title of supreme champion dairy heifer. Freeman brought the champion Ayrshire, while Morgan Weddell of Elkhart County exhibited the champion Brown Swiss. Judge Micah Matlock of Milford settled on Freeman's Ayrshire as the supreme champion heifer. Kley Beer of Adams County won reserve supreme champion with his Holstein.
Freeman won another big honor, master dairy showman. She competed against five other individuals, including Cade Bachelor of Steuben County, to win the ultimate showmanship honor for dairy cattle.
In the dairy cow drive, Matlock chose Bollenbacher's champion Jersey as the supreme champion dairy cow. The reserve supreme champion was the Holstein shown by Taylor Stone of Hancock County.
Other area dairy winners were: Freeman, reserve champion Ayrshire cow and reserve champion Ayrshire heifer; Addison Lortie, Noble County, reserve champion Holstein; Bollenbacher, reserve champion Jersey; and Kaitlin Lamb, Elkhart County, reserve champion Milking Shorthorn.
In the lamb show, the supreme champion ewe was exhibited by Jacob Thompson of Boone County, with the reserve supreme champion coming from Jude Parker of Shelby County. Kaleb Kline of Kosciusko County, Brock Kessler of
LaPorte County and Drew Miller of Huntington County all made the Supreme Drive with their breed champions. Kline had the champion Montadale, while Kessler showed the champion North Country Cheviot. Miller's champion Oxford ewe was selected as the fourth-place ewe.
Other ewe winners were: Carter Bills, Whitley County, reserve champion Dorset; Kessler, reserve champion Katahdin and reserve champion North Country Cheviot; Miller, reserve champion Oxford; and Cooper Leininger, Kosciusko County, reserve champion Suffolk.
In the dairy goat drives, the supreme champion percentage doe was exhibited by Ethan Dowell of Benton County. Tegan Walker of Clinton County showed the supreme champion full blood doe.
Reserve supreme champions were: Colton Dahnke, reserve champion percentage doe, and Maggie Cline, Tipton County, reserve champion full blood doe.
The supreme drive winners in the 4-H category will be formally recognized at the Celebration of Champions event in September.
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