The American Kennel Club Congratulates The AKC Junior Versatility Scholarship Recipients For 2025

The American Kennel Club (AKC^®), a not-for-profit organization that is the world’s largest registry of purebred and mixed-breed dogs, and a leading voice for canine welfare and responsible ownership, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Junior Versatility Scholarships.

The program honors Juniors who actively compete across a range of sports. Participants earn points for event participation, achieving qualifying scores or placements, and earning titles in AKC events. At the end of the competition period, the top ten Juniors are awarded scholarships. Scholarships for first and third place are generously provided by Carolyn and Gary Koch in memory of GCHP Hill Country’s Let’s Get Ready to Rumble. Scholarships for second and fourth through tenth place are funded through proceeds from the AKC Fit Dog Turkey Trot and contributions from the North Carolina Triangle Judges Education Group.

The Junior Versatility Scholarships are presented to the top ten Juniors who compete in at least three different AKC competitive events. The eligibility period aligns with the Companion Events qualifying year for competitions held in conjunction with the AKC National Championship in Orlando. For this cycle, the qualifying period ran from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

First place receiving Scholarship funds totaling $3,000 is Theodore Moore, from Bethel, Minnesota.  Theodore competes in Agility, Obedience, Rally Pointing Breed Hunt Tests, Fast Cat, Junior Showmanship, and Trick Dog with his German Shorthaired Pointers.

Second place receiving $2,5000 is Anja Cikara-Gocke from Wellington, Colorado. Anja competed with her Australian Shepherds in Junior Showmanship, Obedience, Rally, Fast CAT and CGC.

Third Place receiving a $2,000 Scholarship is Taylor Stone from Rougemont, North Carolina.  Taylor competed in Junior Showmanship, Fast CAT and Rally with a Belgian Tervuren, English Toy Spaniel and French Bulldog.

Fourth Place receiving a total of $1,500 Scholarship is Sarah Ford from Stanford, Kentucky.  Sarah competes in Agility, Fast CAT, Junior Showmanship, Rally, and Scent Work with her Miniature American Shepherd.

Fifth Place, receiving a $1,000 Scholarship, is Evelyn Cunningham, from Fruitport, Michigan.  Evelyn competes in Fast CAT, Junior Showmanship, Scent Work and Tricks with a Bulldog and Border Collie.

Sixth Place, receiving a $750 Scholarship is Sawyer Johnson, from Lubbock, Texas. Sawyer competes in Agility, Junior Showmanship, Obedience and Rally with Australian Shepherds.

Seventh Place, receiving a $500 Scholarship is Hannah Rotter, from Springtown, Texas.  Hannah competes in Fast CAT, Junior Showmanship. Obedience, Rally and CGC with her Pembroke Welsh Corgi and French Bulldog.

Eighth Place, receiving a $250 Scholarship, is Kaylin Smith from Ballwin, Missouri. Kaylin competes in Agility, Fast CAT and Rally with her Golden Retriever and Standard Schnauzer.

Ninth Place, receiving a $250 in Scholarships is Katryna Smith from Macomb, Michigan.  Katryna competes in Junior Showmanship, Fast Cat, Rally and Temperament Test with her Rhodesian Ridgeback, Löwchen and Pomeranian.

Tenth Place, receiving a $250 scholarship is Kirbie Allen from Tupelo, Mississippi. Kirbie competes in Coursing Ability, Fast CAT and Junior Showmanship with her Greyhound and Borzoi.

Congratulations to all the recipients. To learn more about sports for juniors, visit https://www.akc.org/sports/juniors/.

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Posted by Liz on Feb 28 2026. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.