BERRIEN SPRINGS — If there was any doubt before, there is not any now.

Katrena Klopfenstein, of Galien, was named the best senior showman at the Berrien County Youth Fair, having outperformed five other finalists in Saturday’s large animal showmanship sweepstakes in the show arena on a rainy day in Berrien Springs.

The River Valley High School junior said this was her first time competing in the sweepstakes and her first year competing in the senior division.

“It was very surprising and relieving because I worked so hard to get to this point,” said Klopfenstein, who has been showing animals for 11 years. “My goal was to be able to get in the sweepstakes but now that I won it is over the top.”

Finishing in second was Madalyn Reneberg, of Berrien Center; in third Celeste Golland, of Baroda; in fourth Erica Mitchell, of Buchanan; in fifth Andrew Vigansky, of Stevensville; and in sixth Danielle Keenan, of Baroda.

The sweepstakes was comprised of senior showmanship winners from the large animal departments of sheep, swine, beef, dairy, llamas/alpacas, and the Jack Dean Memorial winner from the equine department and the senior showman that was selected to represent the goat division.

Each contestant showed competitively against the other contestants in each respective livestock department. Judges used a point system to determine the winner.

Klopfenstein represented swine, while Golland represented equine, Mitchell sheep, Keenan llamas, Reneberg goats and Vigansky dairy.

Like Klopfenstein, Buchanan’s Mitchell was also competing in her first sweepstakes and her first year in the senior division. She will be a junior at Buchanan High School and also attends the Berrien County Math and Science Center at Andrews University.

She said she enjoyed her experience.

“I liked meeting people from different barns and working with new animals that I hadn’t shown before,” she said. “I was disappointed that I didn’t win, but I have plenty more years to try out.”