Academic Bowl clears first round

Eight teams are advancing to the quarterfinals as the Academic Bowl’s exciting first round came to a close.

The final night of the first round of the Academic Bowl got off to a rocky start Thursday night with a missing team from the College of Technology and Innovation. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences won the first match of the night – match five overall – in a forfeit and were allowed to play an exhibition game for practice.

Match six, however, sported some heated competition as the Herberger College of the Arts took on the University College in what started out as a close match with both teams going neck-and-neck in their pursuit of bonus points and toss-up questions.

The competition soon took a turn as the Herberger team, comprised of students Randy Forte, Rachel Kavanaugh, Ronald Strauss and Spencer King, raced ahead for a strong finish at the close of the first half. The University College squad, which included students Veronica Bernard, Wonda Baugh, Bobby Hunnicut and Miranda Hautla, ended the game with a final score of 150 points, not quite enough to win the match, as Herberger racked up a whopping 290.

The Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering dominated most of match seven against the College of Design, which included teammates Alex Oreschak, Doreen Zhao, Lisa Santy and Anthony Avery.

Students Karl Sturm, Tim Shaw, Joe Jannuzzi and Paul Gambill, representing the School of Engineering, swept the match with 335 points to the College of Design’s 145.

In the eighth and final match of the evening, John Kingsmore, Katharyn Neuer, Miranda Yeagin and Tina Drury of the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences competed against the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness.

Taking an early lead, the Morrison School competitors, consisting of students Mark Chancerelle, Michael Zajas, Michael Neider and Andrea McBurney, won the majority of toss-up questions and bonus points, and cleared the first round with a sweeping win over the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. The final score was 290-125.

The Academic Bowl’s original field of 16 teams have now been whittled down to eight with the following teams advancing to the quarterfinals for the chance to win a scholarship prize of up to $4,500 and the President’s Cup trophy. The teams are:

• Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
• Mary Lou Fulton College of Education
• W. P. Carey School of Business
• College of Human Services
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering
• Herberger College of the Arts
• Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness

The next round of competition is set for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 17 in the Pima Room of the Memorial Union, Tempe campus.

For a complete version of this story, go to asu.edu/academicbowl.