CMU — Winchester Thurston’s Quizbowl Team secured a well-earned victory on Saturday at Mellon Bowl XVII, WT’s first tournament of the year, by handily defeating twenty other high school teams from the Pittsburgh area. Winchester Thurston A, consisting of senior Johnny Stern and juniors CB Roman, Ben Bermann, and Alptug Kaynar, was able to maintain a perfect 11-and-0 record against schools such as Allderdice, Central Catholic, and Mount Lebanon. Our team defeated Mount Lebanon in a tense ten-question tiebreaker at the end.

WT’s dominance may be partially credited to the type of questions used. This tournament used novice questions, which are slightly easier than the usual questions. Due to this fact, the A team, which placed eleventh last year in a national tournament, had expected an easy victory. But unforeseen competition forced the players to re-evaluate their expectations. For example, in a match against Hampton, WT was behind at halftime, but the team rebounded in the second half and ultimately won the match. 

“Our small team managed to have some solid competitive rounds against other local teams. It was a good tune up tournament to see how we stack up against the local competition and the results are quite pleasing,” team member CB Roman said. He also acknowledged some areas for improvement: “We have some work to do in the speed department.”

The B team, consisting of sophomores Vik Sinha and Brian Salipante and freshman Alexis Alarcon, also had a successful day, despite the absence of a fourth team member. Both of WT’s teams successfully conjured up trivia from every academic subject and then some; the answers ranged from the Louisiana Purchase to the first battery to “Old Town Road.”

Other than the difficulty of the questions, the format for Mellon Bowl XVII was similar to past tournaments. The teams, usually consisting of four players, went through ten rounds of twenty questions each. Depending on the timing, ten or fifteen points are awarded for each correctly answered question; generally, five points are subtracted for incorrect responses. For each correct answer, there are three bonuses worth ten points each. Over the course of the day, the A team accrued over 5,000 points.

WT’s Quizbowl Team always welcomes new members, and anyone can go to a club meeting or tournament, regardless of skill level. The club meets at 2:10 on Day 6 in Room 202. Questions may be directed to Johnny Stern.