Beavercreek native competes on NBC's 'Capital One College Bowl' airing tomorrow

Sep. 9—Abby Cohen, a Beavercreek native entering her sophomore year at the Ohio State University, is making her appearance on NBC's "Capital One College Bowl" Friday, Sept. 9 at 8 p.m.

Hosted by NFL legend Peyton Manning and brother Cooper Manning, the competition is described by NBC as bringing some of the nation's greatest colleges and universities to a face off in the "ultimate battle of the brains."

According to NBC, teams must work together to test their knowledge in a wide variety of subjects in a five-round tournament. The top two teams will advance to the final where they will compete for the "Capital One College Bowl" trophy and scholarship money.

Cohen will compete on Ohio State's team against Notre Dame with Noah Adams from Columbus and Roxanne Tang from Algonquin, Illinois, in their first round.

She told Dayton.com trivia is not new to her. She participated in Quiz Bowl all four years at Beavercreek High School and even helped her team win its first national Quiz Bowl championship in 2019.

"I've always been very competitive by nature," Cohen said. "I am the youngest of five siblings."

Cohen said she enjoys trivia because it's a gateway to learning other things you may like. For example, literature is one of her favorite trivia categories because she was able to find some of her favorite authors and books by reading summaries.

"To be able to have that outlet where I was able to discover my love for literature and be able to compete, it was fantastic," Cohen said.

The interview and tryout process happened via Zoom. Cohen said it didn't feel real until she went to film the show in an actual studio.

"Something I don't tell a lot of people because it seems so unrealistic is I want to be an actress," Cohen said.

She noted during filming she enjoyed experiencing seeing stage managers on set and being surrounded by multiple cameras.

"Being in a studio in front of cameras, it was awesome," Cohen said. "I would like to do scripted television as an actress."

Cohen is majoring in Biology and Neuroscience and minoring in Spanish. She said she plans to go to medical school to specialize in neuropathology and develop research and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.

In her free time, Cohen enjoys being a part of the university's mock trial team and coaching Dublin Jerome High School's mock trial team. She also volunteers on the university's academic team.

NBC's "Capital One College Bowl" is also available to stream on Peacock.