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Cole Riegert, a Diesel Equipment Technology student at �����������ϳԹ�, is a 2024 SkillsUSA Championships bronze medalist. 

Riegert was awarded third place in the national competition’s Diesel Equipment Technology category after completing rigorous written and hands-on tests. He received his medal during an awards ceremony at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on June 28. 

It was Riegert’s second time competing at the national SkillsUSA Championships; he took sixth place in the Diesel Equipment Technology category last year.   

“I am incredibly honored to have represented Minnesota at the national competition not once, but twice,” says Riegert. “Participating in SkillsUSA has been an amazing experience and I am grateful for the opportunity to present my Diesel Equipment Technology skills alongside such talented peers. This award is a milestone in my journey, and I am excited to continue pursuing excellence in my field. The theme at the national convention was ‘Our Time is Now,’ and to me, it is just the beginning.”

The annual SkillsUSA Championships are held in conjunction with the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference each June. A showcase of the nation’s most highly-skilled career and technical education students, the conference is one of the largest hands-on workforce development events in the world. 

Riegert and more than 6,000 other state champions from across the U.S. competed at this year’s national championships, which featured more than 115 different competition categories. The Beltrami, Minn. native earned his spot by winning the SkillsUSA Minnesota State Championships in April. 

“We are proud of Cole and happy he chose �����������ϳԹ� for his Diesel Equipment Technology training,” say Riegert’s instructors at �����������ϳԹ�, Richard Weber and Jim Bainer. “This is the first time since we’ve been teaching that �����������ϳԹ� has had a student get into the top three at nationals.”

Prior to this year’s national competition, �����������ϳԹ�’s diesel program produced five top 10 winners over 15 years of competing: one 8th place, three 6th place, and one 4th place finisher. This was the program’s 16th year of competing.

“We are extremely proud of Cole’s achievement. He is truly a remarkable student,” says Dr. Mark Bannatyne, Dean of the School of Applied Technology at �����������ϳԹ�. “I am also very proud of the efforts made by Professors Bainer and Weber to ensure our students, like Cole, receive a superior education in this field. Cole is a wonderful example of the efforts made by the faculty to provide exceptional training for all those enrolled in our program.”