Cole Riegert
M State

Cole Riegert, a diesel equipment technology student at M State, is a 2024 SkillsUSA Championships bronze medalist. Riegert was awarded third place in the national competition’s Diesel Equipment Technology category. He received his medal during an awards ceremony at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on June 28.
It was Riegert’s second time competing at the national SkillsUSA Championships. He took sixth place in the Diesel Equipment Technology category last year.
“I am incredibly honored to have represented Minnesota at the national competition not once, but twice,” says Riegert. “Participating in SkillsUSA has been an amazing experience. This award is a milestone in my journey, and I am excited to continue pursuing excellence in my field. The theme at the national convention was ‘Our Time is Now,’ and to me, it is just the beginning.”
The annual SkillsUSA Championships are held in conjunction with the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference each June. A showcase of the nation’s most highly-skilled career and technical education students, the conference is one of the largest hands-on workforce development events in the world.
Riegert and more than 6,000 other state champions from across the U.S. competed at this year’s national championships, which featured more than 115 different competition categories. The Beltrami, Minn., native earned his spot by winning the SkillsUSA Minnesota State Championships in April.
Prior to this year’s national competition, M State’s diesel program produced five top 10 winners over 15 years of competing: one 8th place, three 6th place, and one 4th place finisher. This was the program’s 16th year of competing.