Feb. 8, Edmond Memorial’s academic team went to the state tournament after qualifying as top two in the area. The team has qualified for state in past years and received third last year as well as this year. Each of the two matches lost were by 10 points, which is equivalent to one question.

“Receiving third was pretty disappointing this year as I hoped to place higher this year,” senior captain Oliver Wu said. “I’m really proud of how everyone on the team played and hopefully the team can do better next year.”

The team practices once a week running through previous questions led by academic team coach and AP history teacher Jordan Gotcher, but also spends hours outside of school dedicating themselves to study. Tournament questions focus mainly on geological periods and eras to test the minds of students. 

Great minds think alike and this team is a great example of that. Putting their minds together as a team, they were able to get ahead during early matches.

“Everyone was on their game and the momentum was entirely in our favor,” sophomore William Loughridge said. “That is always a good experience when our practice pays off and everything just clicks.”

Despite placing third at state, the team still has a chance to bounce back at their NAQT (National Academic Quiz Tournaments) state tournament and the Froshmore Academic Bowl to possibly take home the gold. 

“I think our team is stronger than it has been in previous years,” Gotcher said. “Many of our seniors who have been really strong players for multiple years have now made amazing strides forward making them verifiably some of the best players in the state.”

This year has been very rewarding for the academic team as they work towards accomplishments. By placing third, the team has more motivation than ever to place higher next year at state and work harder for tournaments coming up soon. 

Contact Avery Hamlin at [email protected]