Campus

Success of the Robotics Team: Onto Worlds in Dallas

1028A and 1028Z to compete in VEX Robotics Worlds Championships.

Angel Bhandari, Assignment Editor • March 22, 2024

1028A receiving Nebraska Skills Champion Award!

Arguably one of the most pivotal competitions of the season, three of our high school robotics teams—1028A, 1028X, and 1028Z—competed at the Nebraska State Championships in hopes of getting a qualification to the 2024 Worlds Championships in Dallas, Texas. Throughout the season, these teams participated in numerous local competitions to earn qualification for the state and national level tournaments. While both 1028A and 1028Z successfully qualified for both, 1028X secured its place in the state tournament. The state tournament took place at Omaha North High School on Friday, March 8th, and Saturday, March 9th. The event kicked off on Friday night with a skills run, where teams tested their robot’s skills and capabilities in scoring for a particular game. 1028A took the lead, scoring a total of 395 points, placing them 1st in the state of Nebraska and 27th in the world out of 6,383 teams. Meanwhile, 1028Z secured the second position in skills at the State tournament, ranking 65th in the world. The next day the teams competed in qualifying matches where they were randomly assigned to alliances to compete against other groupings of two teams. 1028A finished 3rd in qualifying matches, 1028X secured 8th place, and 1028Z ended in 14th place. After the qualifying matches concluded, it was time for the alliance selection, where the top 16 teams chose their alliances to compete for the state title. 1028A partnered with 1028Z and advanced to the finals, unfortunately falling short and concluding as state runner-ups. On the other hand, 1028X allied with 3141M from Gross Catholic, putting up a good fight but ultimately a hard-fought loss in the round of 16 matches. 1028A secured a double qualification for the Worlds Tournament, while 1028Z also earned their qualification to the Worlds event.

1028 Team Rosters:

(*) – Worlds Qualified

Rochling, Chirumamilla, Bhandari, Vidal, Miller, Martinez (Left to Right)

1028A: Washed *

Angel Bhandari ’26

Samy Chirumamilla ’25

Seth Martinez ’25

Rital Miller ’26

Cillian Rochling ’26

Francesca Vidal ’24

Du, Wildes, Primmer, Zhou, Holtzclaw (Left to Right)

1028Z: For the Company *

Xiaoxiang Du ’25

Christopher Holtzclaw ’27

Doris Primmer ’27

Wesley Wildes ’27

Eric Zhou ’26

Savory, Stevens, Puskar, Reumann, Roka (Left to Right)

1028X: Hog Wild Pit Barbeque

AJ Puskar ’25

Hutchings Reumann ’25

Kaz Roka ’25

Jace Savory ’25

Beckett Stevens ’25

Nguyen, Rogers, Vernon, Chundury (Left to Right)

1028R: You Ready

Rishi Chundury ’27

Annabelle DeWater ’27

Kevin Nguyen ’26

Charlie Rogers ’27

Cameron Vakili ’27

Gavin Vernon ’27

Sean Webster ’27

About the Contributor

Angel Bhandari, Assignment Editor (Culture)

Angel is a junior at Brownell Talbot, and this is her third year on Verbatim. On campus, she is involved in robotics, varsity cheer, speech, science olympiad, and is on the head of the school's student advisory council! She also co-founded the Medical Minds Club and is the Treasurer for DECA here on campus. Additionally, she holds a leadership role within Verbatim, as an Assignment Editor!