The West Virginia State University (WVSU) academic quiz bowl team has earned a spot as one of 48 teams representing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to compete in the 28th annual Honda Campus All‐Star Challenge (HCASC) National Championship Tournament.
Teams in the academic tournament will compete April 8-12, 2017, on the American Honda Motor Co., Inc. campus in Torrance, Calif., for the top prize of a $75,000 institutional grant from Honda.
The Yellow Jackets will be represented by team captain J.R. Hamilton, a senior majoring in communications from Charleston, W.Va.; Jeffrey David Mitchell, a junior majoring in communications from Hernshaw, W.Va.; Jesus Rivera, a junior majoring in computer science from Puebla, Mexico; and Joshua B. Caiquo, a senior majoring in biology and environmental science from Long Beach, Calif.
“We are proud of this team and know that they will represent the Yellow Jacket Nation well as they compete in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge,” said WVSU President Anthony L. Jenkins. “West Virginia State University has a strong legacy of success in this prestigious, academic competition and we know that our team this year will, once again, meet those high expectations.”
WVSU was the national champion of the inaugural HCASC tournament in 1990 and has earned a spot in the tournament every year it has been held. Collectively, the university’s teams have earned $184,000 in institutional grants through participation in the tournament.
The tournament format is a modified round robin where the schools play in eight divisions. The top two teams from each division advance to the “Sweet 16,” a single-elimination playoff. The final two teams then battle it out for the national title in a best 2-out-of-3 finals.
This year’s road to the national championship began in the fall of 2016, with 76 HBCUs vying for a spot in the finals through competition in regional qualifying tournaments. HCASC tests students’ knowledge, skills and ability to quickly and accurately answer questions on world history, science, literature, religion, the arts and popular culture.
Since 1989, the program has awarded more than $8 million in grants to participating HBCUs, impacting the lives of over 125,000 students across 22 states. The participating HBCUs share in grants from Honda of over $350,000 each year. For more information on the HCASC, visit www.hcasc.com.
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