The Seneca Valley team had four teams win awards and four students place individually, including a team and individual championship in the game of Theme.

In the games of Presidents and Propaganda, Seneca teams came in fourth place. The players on the teams received medals. In Current Events, where students answer questions about the previous year, SV’s Anoop Savio came in fourth place individually, and the team came in second. Savio was awarded a medal, and every member of the team was awarded an eight-inch tall statue of the Thinker as their trophies. In Propaganda, three students received medals for placing in the top ten: Dorabella White, Arya Nayak, and Parker Logue. Another game, Theme, held even more achievements in store. The game of Theme involves a topic that changes every year. This year, the questions were on Greek and Roman mythology.. Seneca’s team won fist overall, taking home small golden Thinkers, the traditional trophy of Academic Games. Brenna Wrubel was the game’s National Champion, getting a perfect score of 144. Wrubel almost had to play off for the title of National Champion, but a series of events resulted in the player’s disqualification from the tournament. He had physically altered the scores on the sheet after other players had signed off that it was correct.

The players’ coach, Mr. Stebbins, was proud of the students. He stated that it was one of the best tournaments his students had gone to in a while. “The Junior Division teams and individuals had a great tournament, winning many awards.”

The location of the National Tournament rotates every year. This year, the Seneca team took a coach bus on a ten-hour ride to Knoxville, Tennessee. The students stayed in a nearby hotel, and walked to the convention center every day for meals and games. Despite the rigorous schedule, they still found time for fun. After the games were finished on Saturday, they went out to dinner and saw the movie Avengers: Infinity War.

The team members are looking forward to their final practice, which will be a party. They also have a banquet where they give awards and recognize each other for their success. This year, there is certainly a lot to recognize.