2025 Award of Excellence Recipient
The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation has selected Erick Begitschke as its 2025 Award of Excellence recipient.
The Award is given to outstanding Ph.D. candidates who, in the final phase of their graduate studies, demonstrated overall excellence throughout their doctoral program in turfgrass research.
Begitschke received his B.S.A in turfgrass management from the University of Georgia, and M.S. degree in turfgrass weed science at Mississippi State University under the guidance of Dr. Jay McCurdy. His research at Mississippi State focused on utilizing preemergence herbicides in hybrid bermudagrass sod production. Between his M.S and Ph.D, he worked for SePRO Corporation as a research associate at their research facility in North Carolina where he assisted in managing the internal turfgrass and ornamental research trials and product development. He is currently finishing his Ph.D. in crop and soil science with a concentration in turfgrass science from the University of Georgia under the guidance of Dr. Gerald Henry.
While at UGA, he worked as a graduate research assistant in Dr. Henry’s lab, where he helped conduct numerous industry and other research projects at the Athens Turfgrass Research and Education Center. His dissertation is titled “Evaluation of novel techniques to measure athletic field performance and player safety”. His Ph.D research centered around utilizing athlete biomechanical data to measure field performance and player safety on sports fields.
Begitschke has already published nine peer-reviewed research papers from his M.S. and Ph.D. projects and has six more currently in draft or under review on the topic of turfgrass science. He is an author of more than 30 scientific abstracts and has given approximately 40 research presentations nationally and internationally. He plans to dedicate his career to offering sustainable solutions to turfgrass managers through applied research.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive the Musser Award of Excellence,” Begitschke said. “I greatly respect the previous winners and their remarkable contributions to the turfgrass industry. I will strive to uphold the legacy of this Award by continuing to serve the industry with pride throughout my career. This accomplishment would not have been possible without the unwavering love and support of my wife, Madison, and the invaluable guidance and patience of Drs. Gerald Henry and Jay McCurdy. Thank you all for your encouragement and belief in me.”
The criteria for selecting award recipients include graduate work, academic record, dissertation, publications, leadership, and extracurricular activities. To date, awards have been granted to doctoral students from universities including Arizona, Auburn, Cornell, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Michigan State, Rutgers, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech.
