The Ward Melville High School Academic Challenges Club is headed to the nation’s capital to compete in the national Science Bowl this spring. The team, made up of Rithik Sogal, Ben Proothi, Benjamin Zhang, Anna Xing and captain Michael Melikyan, qualified for the national tournament after winning first place in the regional competition held at Brookhaven National Lab on Feb. 3

At the regional competition, the Three Village students competed against 23 other teams. They went undefeated in their first four round robin matches and reached the double-elimination finals where they faced a team from Great Neck. Great Neck gave them their first lost, but Ward Melville High School pulled through during the tiebreaker round where they surged ahead with a rally of several questions and bonus points – an intense, yet exciting way to win.

“We didn’t really know exactly what the score was,” Ben Proothi said. “We just felt like we were ahead by a little bit, so we took the chance and ran out the clock.”

The first-place win qualified the team for an all-expense paid trip to nationals in April. Students will face more than 60 teams in answering questions on several topics including astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, earth, computer and general science. This marks the first time in six years Ward Melville High School has qualified for the national tournament. The district wishes the team the best of luck!

Date Added: 2/13/2023