About The Nick A. Yengich Latin Competition
An annual opportunity for college students of Latin to test their skills in transition on a "sight" passage from a Roman author. Each Spring students from the University of Utah, Brigham Young University and Utah State University compete for cash prizes in an event which evaluates their skills at the end of a years training in Latin.
Level I
Consists of students finishing their first year of Latin, who are challenged by a Latin prose artist such as Cicero or Caesar.
Level II
Consists of undergraduates beyond the first year, who are challenged by a poet such as Catullus or Martial.
The Nick A. Yengich Latin Competition is unique in its state-wide aspect and in its cash prizes which range from $200.00 to $25.00 in both levels. The contest encourages students who have spent a year's effort in a difficult language and thus takes seriously the study of a "dead" language. Incidentally, it uses "friendly competition" in an intellectual project to bring together students from universities highly competitive in athletics. The project is supported financially by the Yengich Family which contributes the annual cash prizes and by the Classics faculties of competing universities, who create, administer and evaluate the competition. My father came from an entire family of bilingual speakers. His father, Mike, spoke Croatian, his native tongue, and English. His mother, Rosa, spoke Croatian, Serbian, and German. Croatian was my Dad’s first language, but because of the wonderful ethnic stew of Bingham Canyon, he understood the Italian of his Father and Mother In Law, some Spanish, Greek, Serbian, and Russian.
I have few regrets in a life that has provided me with much more fortune than I deserve. But I do regret that I never learned the Croatian and Italian dialects of my grandparents (with the exception of a few epithets thrown my way by my parents, uncles and aunts as a chronic child pain in the neck).
The Nick A. Yengich Latin Contest is meant to provide a modest prize to those Latin students who show a desire to succeed in this most beautiful of the Indo-European children of languages. It is a competition conducted by Dr. James Svendsen (my Latin Professor-who, I might add, referred to me as CAUDEX", Professor at the University of Utah and his colleagues. The competition is held in the spring and we invite students from Utah, Utah State University, and yes, even that school down south (Brigham Young University) to submit translations of certain Latin selections selected by Professor Svendsen.
1999
Level I
First Prize - $250.00
• Jonathan Barney
Utah State University
Second Prize - $125.00
• Joshua Merrill
Utah State University
Level II
First Prize - $250.00
• Conrad Williams
University of Utah
Second Prize - $125.00
• Christopher Thompson
University of Utah
2000
Level I
First Prize
• Kim Eldredge,
University of Utah
Second Prize
• Joy Blatter,
University of Utah
Level II
First Prize
• Rebecca Allen,
Brigham Young University
Second Prize
• Rebecca Allen,
University of Utah
2001
Level I
First Prize
• Niki Thornock,
Brigham Young University
Second Prize
• Aubrey Chan,
University of Utah
Honorable Mention
• Rick Christianson,
University of Utah
• Peter Jasinski,
Brigham Young University
Level II
• Edward Jones,
University of Utah
Second Prize
• Robert Ricks,
Brigham Young University
Honorable Mention
• Rebecca Allen,
Brigham Young University
• Eliza Ciccotti,
Brigham Young University
2002
Level I
First Prize - $200.00
• Richard McMurtrey,
Brigham Young University
Second Prize - $100.00
• Heather White,
Brigham Young University
Third Prize - $50.00
• Robin Openshaw,
Utah State University
Fourth Prize - $25.00
• Lia Sutner,
Brigham Young University
Honorable Mention
• Rodrigo Nuñez
University of Utah
Level II
First Prize - $200.00
• Rebecca Allen,
Brigham Young University
Second Prize - $100.00
• Chris Jensen,
University of Utah
Third Prize - $50.00
• Joy Blatter,
University of Utah
Fourth Prize - $25.00
• Tyler Altom,
Brigham Young University
Honorable Mention
• Angela Morrison,
Utah State University
2003
Level I
First Prize - $200.00
• Marlesa Whitaker,
University of Utah
Second Prize - $100.00
• Russell Burnett,
Brigham Young University
Third Prize - $50.00
• Ransom Smith,
University of Utah
Fourth Prize - $25.00
• Patrick Hadley,
Brigham Young University
Level II
First Prize - $200.00
• Johnathan Barney,
Utah State University
Second Prize - $100.00
• Daniel Webb,
Utah State University
Third Prize - $50.00
• Nicolas Rampton,
Brigham Young University
Fourth Prize - $25.00
• Tyler Altom,
Brigham Young University
Special Award
Jerry Lodge Scholarship - $1000.00
• Eli Benjamin Kelsey
2004
Level I
First Prize - $200.00
• Amy Carruth,
Utah State University
Second Prize - $100.00
• Dustan Smith,
University of Utah
Level II
First Prize - $200.00
• Lia Collings,
Brigham Young University
Second Prize - $100.00
• Bethany Merrill,
Utah State University
Third Prize - $75.00
• Rachelle Olsen,
University of Utah
Fourth Prize - $50.00
• Bret Brinkman,
University of Utah
Fifth Prize - $25.00
• David Shelly,
Brigham Young University
2005
Level I
First Prize
First Prize - $200.00
• Cynthia Hornbeck,
University of Utah
Second Prize - $100.00
• Rachel Morris,
Utah State University
Third Prize - $50.00
• Sarah Walker,
Brigham Young University
Fourth Prize - $25.00
• Andrea Manser,
Brigham Young University
Level II
First Prize - $200.00
• David Shelly,
Brigham Young University
Second Prize - $100.00
• Sean Northrup,
Brigham Young University
Third Prize - $50.00
• Patrick Hadley,
University of Utah
Fourth Prize - $25.00
• Amy Carruth,
Utah State University
2006
Level I
First Prize - $200.00
• Maggie Hoyt,
Brigham Young University
Second Prize - $100.00
• Daniel Robertson,
Utah State University
Third Prize - $50.00
• Robert Smith,
University of Utah
Fourth Prize - $25.00
• Gabriela Zambrano
University of Utah
Level II
First Prize - $200.00
• Patrick Hadley
University of Utah
Second Prize - $100.00
• David Shelley,
Brigham Young University
Third Prize - $50.00
• Guy Smoot,
University of Utah
Fourth Prize - $25.00
• Seth Reynolds,
Brigham Young University
2007
Level I
First Prize
• Sari Carter,
Brigham Young University
Second Prize
• Geoff McLaughlin,
Brigham Young University
Third Prize
• Tyler Pac,
Utah State University
Fourth Prize
• Nathan Weatherford
Brigham Young University
Fifth Prize
• Jean Simmons
University of Utah
Level II
First Prize
• Cynthia Hornbeck
University of Utah
Second Prize
• Scott Davis,
Utah State University
Third Prize
• Cory Pfister,
Utah State University
Fourth Prize
• Chuck Outon,
Utah State University
Fifth Prize
• Daniel Robertson,
Utah State University
2008
Level I
First Prize
• Melisa Philips,
Brigham Young University
Second Prize
• Bryce Gessell,
Brigham Young University
Third Prize
• Kyra Orr,
Brigham Young University
Fourth Prize
• Elizabeth Vayo
University of Utah
Honorable Mention
• Elizabeth Clark
University of Utah
Honorable Mention
• Graham Dow
Brigham Young University
Level II
First Prize
• Hillary Skousen
Brigham Young University
Second Prize
• Maggie Holt,
Brigham Young University
Third Prize
• Daniel Robertson,
Utah State University
Fourth Prize
• Claire Monson,
Brigham Young University
Honorable Mention
• Marissa Jensen,
Brigham Young University
2009
Level I
First Prize
• Kimberly Littler,
Utah State University
Second Prize
• Crystal Newberry ,
University of Utah
Third Prize
• Shayla Michel,
Utah State University
Fourth Prize
• Daniel Hunt
Brigham Young University
Honorable Mention
• Ellen Beck
University of Utah
Level II
First Prize
• Maggie Hoyt
Brigham Young University
Second Prize
• Christian Axelgard,
Brigham Young University
Third Prize
• Claire Monson,
Brigham Young University
Fourth Prize
• Jean Simmons,
University of Utah
Honorable Mention
• Keith Fairbank,
Brigham Young University
2010
Level I
First Prize
• Eric Sollett,
Utah State University
Second Prize
• Marie Pack ,
Utah State University
Third Prize
• Matthew Dinsdale,
University of Utah
Fourth Prize
• Genevieve Draper
Utah State University
Honorable Mention
• Kristiana Rockne
University of Utah
Level II
First Prize
• Rebecca Richards,
Utah State University
Second Prize
• Jean Simmons,
University of Utah
Third Prize
• Ian Graham,
Utah State University
Fourth Prize
• Ashley Reader,
Honorable Mention
• Taylor Smith,
University of Utah