Our Springfield Middle School Science Olympiad team had an eventful February and March, with three weekends of competitions at invitational and regional tournaments. Starting with a trip to Ann Arbor on Saturday, February 18, the team faced 30 Ohio and Michigan teams as they competed in 23 events all around the University of Michigan campus.
Top finishers at the U of M invitational included Brayden Root and Henry Brewis, who placed 11th in the Fast Facts event, along with the trio of Allison Altstaetter, Mckenzie Cox and Tori Welch, who finished 11th in Experimental Design.
On the following Saturday, February 25, the team ventured up north again to Holt, Michigan, to compete with almost 40 teams in the middle school division. Highlights from the tournament included a third place medal in the Can’t Judge a Powder event, won by seventh graders Allison Altstaetter and Aiden Kirlin. Earning seventh and eighth place ribbons, respectively, in the events Green Generation and Roller Coaster were partners Aiden Kirlin and Isabella Garcia-Eickmann, and Aiden Kirlin and Mohammad Azaz Aslam. Another standout session was the fun event called Pentathlon, in which Gabrielle Polker, Allison Altstaetter, Henry Brewis and Ryan Sharp worked together to earn third place for the team.
The invitational season culminated for the team on Saturday, March 18, at the NW Ohio Regional Tournament hosted by Bowling Green State University. At BGSU, the team brought home a trophy as they earned fourth place overall in the region, qualifying them to move on to the state tournament held at the Ohio State University at the end of April. Students earning medals in their regional events are listed below. Congrats to the team and coaches Mike Ransford and Jamie Lenox. Best of luck at the state tournament.
Second place: Can’t Judge A Powder, Allison Altstaetter and Kendyl Delp-Hartbarger; Forestry, Brenna Grover and Isabella Garcia-Eickmann.
Third place: Codebusters, Mckenzie Cox, Brayden Root and Kendyl Delp-Hartbarger; Roller Coaster, Aiden Kirlin and Evan Brostek; Dynamic Planet, Mohammad Azaz Aslam and Joshua Kleopfer; Write It, Do It, Tori Welch and Allison Altstaetter.
Fourth place: Bio-Process Lab, Aiden Kirlin and Evan Brostek; Crime Busters, Ian Thomas and Allison Altstaetter; Fast Facts, Brayden Root and Henry Brewis; Green Generation, Aiden Kirlin and Isabella Garcia-Eickmann.
Fifth place: Experimental Design, Allison Altstaetter, Tori Welch and Mckenzie Cox; Rocks and Minerals, Tori Welch and Mckenzie Cox.
Sixth place: Anatomy and Physiology, Ian Thomas and Allison Altstaetter; Bridges, Ryan Sharp and Henry Brewis; Flight, Sophia Rainey and Isabella Garcia-Eickmann; Road Scholar, Joshua Kleopfer and Aiden Kirlin; Storm the Castle, Ian Thomas and Mohammad Azaz Aslam; Rocks and Minerals, Gabrielle Polker and Alysenne Ellis.
