US Academic Challenge Team Captures Third
Five members of the Academic Challenge Team competed for eight hours in Manasquan on Saturday, November 19 and took the Third Place trophy in a competition with some of the toughest teams in New Jersey. The team finished with a 9-2 record, losing a close match against Biotech A in the Semis that cost them a title tilt with Princeton.
Senior Alden Rose, Senior Michael Guiliano, Junior Zanc Zhao, and Sophomore Claire O'Leary, all with very little experience in Quiz Bowl competition, joined Acting Captain Senior Ankush Govil to pull off this achievement.
Alden finished as the second-highest scorer in a field of 125 scholars from thirty area schools, averaging 75 points per game. In a remarkable performance for a sophomore, Claire O'Leary finished in 42nd place, averaging 23 points per game.
All five players, however, earned key toss-up and bonus points. Ranney dominated in its first seven matches, and throughout the course of the day (until the semi-final) lost only to High Tech A in a nail-biting contest.
Their success in this tourney will be rewarded by an invitation to the National Championships in Atlanta next May and the Small School National Championships in Chicago in April.
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