Musser Turfgrass Foundation honors University of Georgia researcher

The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation selected Erick Begitschke of the University of Georgia 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.

“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.”

Begitschke received his bachelor’s degree in turfgrass management from the University of Georgia, and his master’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 pre-emergence herbicides in hybrid Bermudagrass sod production. Between his master’s and doctorate, he worked for SePRO Corporation as a research associate at their research facility in North Carolina.

He is currently finishing his doctorate in crop and soil science with a concentration in turfgrass science from UGA under the guidance of Dr. Gerald Henry. As a graduate research assistant in Henry’s lab, he helped conduct numerous research projects at the Athens Turfgrass Research and Education Center. His doctorate research centered around utilizing athlete biomechanical data to measure field performance and player safety on sports fields. His dissertation is titled “Evaluation of novel techniques to measure athletic field performance and player safety.”

Begitschke has already published nine peer-reviewed research papers from his master’s and doctorate 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.

“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,” Begitschke said. “I want to thank all of them for their 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.