Fossil Ridge, Preston teams earn trips to National Science Bowl Finals

Kelly Lyell, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·3 min read
National Science Bowl teams from Preston Middle School went 1-2 at the regional/state championships, with the winning team advancing to the national finals April 27 to May 1 in Washington, D.C.
National Science Bowl teams from Preston Middle School went 1-2 at the regional/state championships, with the winning team advancing to the national finals April 27 to May 1 in Washington, D.C.

Make it a three-peat!

While Fossil Ridge High School’s boys basketball team was earning a second consecutive trip to the Final Four of Colorado’s state championships, the school's Science Bowl team was winning a third straight state title at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.

And heading to Washington, D.C., for the national championships next month with Fossil Ridge’s team will be a team from one of its feeder schools, Preston Middle School.

Preston won a regional middle-school championship a week earlier to earn its expenses-paid trip to the 2023 National Science Bowl Finals from April 27 to May 1.

Fossil Ridge’s team of Kary Fang, Sophie Wang, Jackson Dryg, Colin Magelky and Quentin Perez-Wahl beat out 13 other teams from Colorado high schools to claim its title. Fossil Ridge, coached by Bryan Riedel, defeated Fairview in the final. The Colorado state championships were one of 64 regional qualifiers for the national championships, with only the winners from each moving on, the National Renewable Energy Lab wrote in a news release announcing the results.

All five Fossil Ridge team members previously competed on Preston teams that won state and competed at nationals as middle-schoolers, and three have younger siblings who competed for Preston this year, Preston co-coach Logan Burke wrote in an email.

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Preston teams went 1-2 in the championship of the middle-school regional/state championship Feb. 25 that was conducted virtually on Zoom. Members of the winning team moving on to nationals are Lauren Magelky, Alexis Dryg, Ella Wang, Devin Baldwin and Johnlin Feng. The runner-up team consisted of Lucas Tishowski, Samer Abdo, Evan Mainz, Fay Feng and Parker Elder. Burke and Preston principal Amy Kirby coach the two teams.

Students from the two Poudre School District teams moving on to nationals will participate in several days of science events and sightseeing in addition to the actual competition, the U.S. Department of Energy said in a news release announcing Preston’s regional championship.

The top two middle and high school teams will win $5,000 for their school’s math and science departments, organizers said. Other schools placing among the top 16 in the national finals will earn $1,000 for their school’s science departments.

The DOE created the Science Bowl in 1991 “to encourage students to excel in mathematics and science and pursue careers in these fields,” the National Renewable Energy Laboratory wrote. Teams consist of four members, along with one alternate and a teacher who serves as a coach and adviser. The competition tests students on a range of science disciplines, including biology, chemistry, energy, earth science, math and physics, organizers said.

More than 14,000 students in middle and high school participate in the National Science Bowl each year, and about 335,000 have participated in the event since its inception, the DOE wrote.

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, twitter.com/KellyLyell or facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fossil Ridge, Preston teams earn trips to National Science Bowl Finals