Academic Quiz Bowl Team Reaches Final Four of National Championship

4/8/2013

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Contact: Dr. Donna M. Simon
(304) 766-3363
dsimon@wvstateu.edu

   
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University (WVSU) academic quiz bowl team reached the Final Four round of competition in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournament in Los Angeles.

Competing against 48 other schools from around the country representing Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) the Yellow Jackets advanced through two days of competition to reach the Final Four where it fell Monday afternoon to eventual National Champion Morgan State University.

“The chance to represent West Virginia State on a national level has been a rewarding experience,” said WVSU team captain Scotty White. “WVSU can stand with some of the brightest students in the country.”

White, a sophomore majoring in communications, added that the run to the Final Four was a great experience and the quiz bowl team vowed to return next year.

“We had a great run and we will be back next year,” he said.

Other Yellow Jacket academic quiz bowl team members are:

• Eric Jett, a senior mathematics major from Charleston;

• Ashton Gauff, a senior mathematics and international studies/French major from Zachary, La.;

• Raynalle Rouse, a sophomore theatre arts major from Washington, D.C.

Belinda Fuller, WVSU director of alumni relations, serves as the team’s coach.

The two-day Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournament began Sunday with a round robin competition among teams. The top 16 teams emerging from the round robin portion continued in the competition on Monday.

In the round of 16, WVSU defeated Southern University of New Orleans to advance to the Elite Eight where the Yellow Jackets defeated North Carolina A&T State University to reach the Final Four.  

More than 250 students from 18 states competed in the 24^th annual All-Star Challenge. Teams were vying to win a share of more than $300,000 in institutional grants awarded by Honda, including the grand prize of $50,000 for the winning team.

The grand prize, along with the other institutional grants, support academic activities at the participating HBCUs.

The All-Star Challenge is one of Honda’s largest and longest running philanthropic initiatives in the United States.  Throughout its history, the program has awarded more than $7 million in grants. 

For more information on the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge go to www.HCASC.com.
                                                                                       
West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.