Thanks to the collective successes of Briarcliff High School’s junior
varsity and varsity Academic Challenge teams, Briarcliff was named the
nation’s Small School Champion in the National Academic Challenge
competition. The recognition comes following successful years of
unprecedented achievements by both squads in regional and national
competitions.
Both teams participated in the 32nd annual National Academic Challenge
Competition in Washington, D.C. The competition is held over three
national sites: Washington D.C., Chicago and New Orleans.
The BHS JV squad, captained by junior Charlie Driver and comprised of
Charlie and sophomores Ryan Klarnet, Feroze Mohideen and Karthik Rao,
won the Washington, D.C. JV divisional tournament with an 8-0 record.
Despite their impressive effort, the Chicago champion was awarded the
National JV title with a 7-0 record but a higher overall point total. As
a result, BHS’s JV Academic Challenge team is the national runner-up.
BHS’s varsity team, captained by the school’s only representing senior,
Tong Li, incudes juniors Dan Bramson, Jacob Gold, Allen He, George
Keiter and Arjun Rao. The team advanced to the semifinal round of
national competition after going undefeated in the first eight rounds.
Overall, the BHS varsity team finished 12th nationally.
The Academic Challenge Club, which consists of both national qualifying
teams and other participating students, practices after school once a
week and competes seven to nine times a year. In order to qualify for
the national competition, a team must either win at the regional level
or rank in the top 15 percent of all competitions.
“I am extremely proud of both of our Academic Challenge teams. Both had
memorable and unprecedented seasons and impressive results at the
regional level winning OMAR, and on the national stage in Washington,”
said Desmond Groarke, an English teacher and curriculum coordinator at
Briarcliff Middle School, who has been coaching BHS’s Academic Challenge
JV and varsity teams since 2006. “I met with the club members following
the nationals – including students who did not make the trip to
Washington, D.C. – and they are all psyched to take their knowledge to
the next level next year.”
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