You can toast Evan Brey and his Brown County Junior Dairy Bowl teammates with an ice-cold glass of milk after they won the national championship at the National Holstein Convention in St. Louis earlier this week.

The team represented Wisconsin in the title match, edging Team California 55-53 for the state’s first National Junior Dairy Bowl Championship since 1992. The competition was the culmination of countless hours of studying and practice sessions that required Brey to travel from his home in Sturgeon Bay to De Pere once a week to meet with his team. Unlike other teams at the competition that collect their brightest from across their respective states, Brey’s squad won the state competition to qualify for the national convention. Winning the national title has been the goal of Brey’s for four years. While knowing facts about the dairy industry, like types of cheese, cow diseases, and more, is fun, Brey says accomplishing the goal with his friends made the win much sweeter.

There will be no repeat at the junior level for Brey and his teammates Audrey Zirbel (16 year old, Greenleaf, Wis., Wrightstown HS), Ian Brick (14 year old, Greenleaf, Wis., De Pere HS), and Alivia Wiese (15 year old, Greenleaf, Wis., Wrightstown HS), and coach/podcaster. Brey says that once you win at the junior level, you automatically get moved up to the senior level, which will feature teams with college students on them.

BONUS! STUMP THE BROADCASTER: Evan quizzes Tim on his dairy knowledge, and Tim asks Evan what was the one question that stumped him during the competition

Picture courtesy of Moriah Brey