CRESTON — Southwestern Community College (SWCC) students Hunter Brown of Mt. Ayr and Cody Bristow of Creston placed seventh overall in the 2012 Iowa Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny. This competition recognizes some of the best high school auto technicians in the state.
The two SWCC students qualified for the statewide competition following a written exam administered a couple of months ago. The top scoring teams were then invited to Ankeny to participate in the hands-on competition.
During the hands-on portion of the competition, autos were "bugged" with identical problems. The students diagnosed the issues during a 90-minute contest.
Bristow, a senior at Creston High School, and Brown, a senior at Mt. Ayr High School, are taking courses through SWCC’s Tech Prep/Career Academy automotive program. These programs offer high school students opportunities to take career and technical-related coursework at the college thanks to a cooperative agreement between SWCC and their local high schools.
Jeff Sorensen, SWCC automotive repair technology instructor, accompanied the students to the competition.