H.B. Ward Duo Wins States, Heading to National Auto Tech Competition

Two local students are heading to a national automotive troubleshooting competition after they won at the New York State level on Valentine's Day.

H. B. Ward Technical and Academic Center students Michael Rutkoski and Kevin Herrera, both from the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District, will compete in the New York International Automobile Show on April 10 and 11. The duo will represent metro New York as they face off against 29 other two-person auto technician teams from across the nation.

Both received $10,000 scholarships to a selection of schools, one of which - Lincoln Technical Institute - Rutkoski already had a $13,000 scholarship to attend.

Herrera, who currently works as a paid intern at Riverhead Toyota, has said in the past he's looking forward to a future of tackling automotive challenges.

"Even though I came into the program not knowing anything about engines, I've learned a lot and am looking forward to becoming a mechanic," Herrera said. 

Five H.B. Ward students had attended the state competition, where Rutkoski and Herrera had finished in first place.

In addition to winning scholarships and other prizes, Herrera and Rutkoski won an Infiniti sedan for theirschool’s automotive program courtesy of Nissan North America.

According to the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association website, “The National Automotive Technology Competition is a test of skill, a measure of knowledge, and a race against the clock--all rolled into one. It features hundreds of the nation's best high school automotive education students from across the country competing for the title of The Nation's Best Automotive Technician."