3-31-26

HAYS, Kan. – Students from the Fort Hays State University (FHSU) Criminal Justice Club traveled to Bloomington, Minn., March 8-13 to participate in the American Criminal Justice Association/Lambda Alpha Epsilon (ACJA/LAE) National Conference. The annual conference brought together top criminal justice students from colleges and universities across the United States to compete in a variety of academic, professional, and physical events while engaging with leaders in the field.

FHSU students competed in a comprehensive slate of events designed to test knowledge, applied skills, and professional readiness. Competitions included written academic testing, a mock crime scene investigation, physical agility, firearms proficiency, the scholarly poster competition, the national paper competition, and the scholarship competition. In addition, individual participants, academic institutions, and regional participants were eligible for prestigious recognitions, including All-Collegiate Academic honors, the Sweepstakes Award, the Spirit Award, and Top Academic distinctions.

FHSU students earned numerous individual and team awards across a wide range of competitive events and divisions. In the Mock Crime Scene Competition, Matthias Pearce, Hays; Mackenzie Zimmerman, Hays; and Genasis Pedrino, Chanute, earned second place in the upper division, while Mariah Carrillo, Hays; Caleb Purvis, Westmorland; and Tamara Lynn earned second place in the professional division.

In the National Paper Competition, award recipients included Tanner Herskowitz, Lenora (third place, lower division); Makynna Deland, Wray, Colo. (second place, lower division); Mackenzie Zimmerman (second place, upper division), and Caleb Purvis (second place, graduate division). In the Scholarship Competition, Mackenzie Zimmerman earned second place in the upper division, while Ben Wilkerson, Lawrence, received first place in the upper division.

Students also excelled in the Scholarly Poster Competition. In the lower division, Makynna Deland, earned second place, and Tanner Herskowitz, received first place. In the upper division, Leyla Karem, Phillipsburg, earned third place, and Laci Bayless, Wamego, received first place.

In written academic testing, students placed in multiple subject areas. In Cold Cases, Leyla Karim earned third place (upper division). In Corrections, Rebekah Bottner, Glasco, earned second place (upper division), Tamara Lynn earned third place (professional division), and Ziwei Qi earned second place (professional division). In Juvenile Justice, Ben Wilkerson placed third (upper division), Rebekah Bottner placed second (upper division), Morgan Steele placed third (professional division), and Ziwei Qi placed first (professional division). In Criminal Law, Ziwei Qi earned first place (professional division). In Police Management, Mackenzie Zimmerman placed second (upper division), Ziwei Qi placed second (professional division), and Tamara Lynn placed first (professional division).

Additional honors included Ziwei Qi earning first place in Physical Agility (female, age 36 and up) and being named Top Academic for the conference. The FHSU Criminal Justice Club was recognized as runner-up for the Top Collegiate Academic Award.

At the regional level, Region 3, represented by Fort Hays State University and the University of Central Missouri, earned both the Conference Spirit Award and the Sweepstakes Award, recognizing the top-performing region overall.

Students also participated in conference-wide “fun” competitions. Matthias Pearce, Tanner Herskowitz, and John Wilt from Region 4 earned third place in the Group Talent Competition, while the FHSU Criminal Justice Club earned first place in the Lip Sync Competition.

In addition to competitive events, students attended educational sessions featuring nationally recognized speakers. A highlight of the conference included presentations on cold case investigations, featuring Patty Wetterling, a nationally known advocate for child safety and co-founder of the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center. These sessions offered students important insight into investigative challenges, victim advocacy, and the long-term impact of unresolved cases.

In addition to conference activities, members of the FHSU Criminal Justice Club volunteered at the Minneapolis Ronald McDonald House. This experience reinforced the university’s commitment to community engagement and service, providing direct support to families in need while emphasizing the importance of compassion and civic responsibility within the criminal justice profession.

“The ACJA national conference provides students with an excellent opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world scenarios while building professional relationships with peers and practitioners from across the country,” Tamara Lynn said. “The combination of competition, service, and professional development makes this an invaluable experience for students preparing to enter the criminal justice field.”

The FHSU Criminal Justice Club remains an active and high-achieving student organization, regularly participating in regional and national conferences and engaging in academic, professional, and service-oriented initiatives.

For more information about the FHSU Criminal Justice Program or student organization, please contact the Criminal Justice Program at criminaljustice@fhsu.edu.