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INA, Ill. (May 15, 2025) — High school students from Christopher, Mt. Vernon and Hamilton County put their welding skills on display last month at º£½ÇÊÓƵ's 2025 Welding Contest.

Students competed to win prizes donated by local vendors and community members including Stumpf Welding Supplies, ILMO Products Company, Big R, Scott Kreiger from Lay's Mining Service, Sam Thompson from APL, RLC Welding Professor Mike Meinert, Dustin Brandon from Brandon Welding and Tom Medina from St. Louis AWS. The first place prize was a welder, second place received a welding hood, and third and fourth place winners received a grinder.

Taking the top prize as the 2025 champion was Alex Payton from Christopher High School. The runner-up spot went to fellow Bearcat Bradden Mays. Rounding out the top four placements were Conner Spero (Mt. Vernon) in third place and Jeffrey Furlow (Christopher) in fourth place.

Other top 10 finishers include: 5th place — Andrew Webb (Hamilton County), 6th place — Jake Lucke (Hamilton County), 7th place — Jesse Fenoglio (Christopher), 8th place — Caden Dean (Hamilton County), 9th place — Dylan Petrie ( Mt. Vernon) and 10th place — Eric Sheridan (Mt. Vernon).

Alex Peyton — 1st Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Bradden Mays — 2nd Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Conner Spero — 3rd Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Jeffrey Furlow — 4th Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Andrew Webb — 5th Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Jake Lucke — 6th Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Jesse Fenoglio — 7th Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Caden Dean — 8th Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Dylan Petrie — 9th Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Eric Sheridan — 10th Place Winner & RLC Welding Professor, Mike Meinert

Interested in the RLC welding program? Visit rlc.edu/welding-technology to learn more!