HS Quiz Bowl team ends season with impressive national finish

For the first time in the history of the USN’s HS Quiz Bowl team, three teams qualified for National Academic Quiz Tournaments’ Small School National Championship Tournament, meaning every member of the 14-person club had the opportunity to fly to Chicago and represent the school. Four experienced juniors, literature expert Ophelia Cherry-Pulay ‘25, music aficionado Daniel Guo ‘25, jack-of-all-trades Rohan Ramachandran ‘25, and intrepid newcomer Penelope Graham ‘25, comprised the A team. Last year, this team made it all the way to fifth place before a difficult loss to The Paideia School from Georgia, hinging on a question regarding the Blizzard Entertainment sexual harassment scandal (coach Dr. Eric Mukherjee had taught the team all of the major Blizzard franchises — Starcraft, Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch — but did not think to include this in the team’s extensive training). The B team comprised Evan Giles 26’, Jackson Green ‘26, Noah Horwitz, ‘26, Mason Lack ‘26, and Lucia Gellert ‘27, and the C team included Cole Patterson ‘24, Eva Choe ‘26, Ismaeel Moskinzada ‘26, Charlie Blau ‘27, and Karsen Puzniak ‘27. 

Fifty-five teams played in USN’s division, which consisted exclusively of small private and magnet schools. The two-day tournament format consisted of ten preliminary games — a team needed to win six or more to make the double-elimination playoffs on Sunday. The A team displayed incredible skill and determination, defeating excellent teams from Utica Academy in Michigan and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland. Despite near misses, USN A managed a 10-0 preliminary record for the second year in a row, cementing its place among the best small schools in the nation. The B team lost only two games throughout the day, doing some damage to eventual second-place team Alabama Cyber Tech along the way. Although there were some serious nail-biters, their hard work paid off, and they also qualified for the playoffs with an 8-2 record. The C team had unmatched positivity throughout the day (often motivating each other with triumphant promises to “bring the sausage!”) and earned a well-deserved place in the playoffs. With all three teams qualifying, a feat only reached by one other school in the country, the teammates all came together to celebrate their collective victories over some delicious deep-dish pizza (for some, the highlight of the trip). 

On Sunday, May 26, the day of the playoffs, the three teams would face off against the best teams in the country. B and C teams had two incredibly close losses, tying for 17th place overall. While each team was disappointed they could no longer play due to the double-elimination format, it allowed both teams to see the A team’s considerable skills and knowledge. 

These excellent victories were unfortunately followed by a loss to eventual winner St. Mark’s School from Texas and a heartbreaking close loss to eventual second-place team Alabama Cyber Tech, landing USN in a game for third place. It was a strangely-assembled round featuring multiple non-standard questions and a contentious protest. Unfortunately, USN’s fate was sealed by one of those odd questions. So, after a final close loss to St. Mark’s B team, USN landed in 4th place. A banner performance for a group of juniors, who return next year determined to improve. 

In addition to the team successes, two students were awarded individual prizes for their achievements in the tournament. Ophelia was among the country's top 10 individual quiz bowlers, while Jackson was named a Rising Star, an award given to the top 9th and 10th graders. Overall, it was an incredible performance for all Quiz Bowl team members, whose hard work certainly paid off. 

At the High School Quiz Bowl National Championships in Atlanta, USN’s A-team (Ophelia Cherry-Pulay '25, Penelope Graham '25, Daniel Guo '25, and Rohan Ramachandran '25) finished T21 out of 320 teams who competed.