Courtesy of Sean PhillipsIn the final duel between Truman State and Washington University, the Washington University Academic Team beat last year’s regional champions by a score of 340-240, grabbing the College Bowl Regional Championship title in a competition held at Kansas State University.
In April, the team, which includes junior Jon Pinyan, junior Ryan Jacobson, freshman Katie Shen, sophomore Andrew Brantley and Matt Schneider, a graduate student in political science, will travel to Hartford, Conn., to compete in the College Bowl National Championship.
A typical College Bowl competition consists of two four-person teams competing to answer a series of questions that encompass various subjects such as literature and pop culture.
The Washington University Academic Team (WUAT) has been competing since 1978. Over the years, WUAT has won 14 regional titles and competed at 15 national tournaments. The team’s highest achievement was a second-place finish at Nationals.
The team finished 8-1 after the round robin, tying with Truman State. In the double-elimination playoffs, Wash. U. defeated Kansas State by the score of 350-180.
In the finals, the team lost its first game to Truman State 355-215, but bounced back to win Game 2 340-240 to take the championship. The team finished the day with a 12-2 record.
The team had previously lost two years in a row to Truman State in the regional finals.
“It looked like we were going to lose again,” said Pinyan. “It was very tense. But then Andrew [Brantley] and Katie [Shen] kept getting questions right, one after the other.”
At the regional competition, Brantley achieved the highest points per game average, the second best score in the entire tournament field.
“Our star player, Andrew Brantley, really came through for us at close game situations. At one point, he got seven out of eight questions right, which is very impressive.” said Jacobson.
For Schneider, this year marked the last that he is eligible to compete.
“It was the first time he was able to qualify. We are happy that we are able to win the tournament and send him to the Nationals,” said Jacobson.
The history of the College Bowl tournament dates back to 1953. According to the official College Bowl Web site, the College Bowl aired on the NBC Radio network from 1953-1957. It debuted on television in 1959, running every Saturday and Sunday until 1970. In 1977, the College Bowl, in cooperation with the Association of College Unions Internationals, created an official competition on campuses, establishing Regional and National Championship levels outside network television.
Jacobson expressed excitement as the team prepares for the Nationals in April.
“We are more than bunch of nerds,” said Jacobson. “We can kick butts, too.”