Gritty matches, excitement mark Academic Bowl quarterfinals

With a flood of cheers, ASU’s top eight teams entered the stage of the Academic Bowl quarterfinals. However, the crowd reacted more than once to the gritty back and forth response plays that knocked four teams out of the competition.

Each match was setup in 12-minute halves of rapid question-and-answer play between opposing teams, comprised of four players each.

Bill Silcock from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication moderated the first match between the College of Human Services and the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education.

The College of Human Services scored 25 easy points answering details about cell anatomy. But the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education overtook the College of Human Services by nailing the remaining toss up questions of the first half, with a lead of 155 points.

The College of Human Services hardly had a chance to intervene in the start of the second half. In the end, the team of the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education toppled the College of Human Services, 285 points to 75.

The team of the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education was led by Michelle Barton, Jennifer Dwosh, Katarina Gomez, Scott Ross, Alison Walsh and Karina Richardson.

Name the architect whose works are prominent in Oak Park, Illinois and was responsible for designing the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Answer: Frank Lloyd Wright.

Dean of Teacher Education and Leadership Mari Koerner moderated the second match of the evening between the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the W.P. Carey School of Business.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences began the first half by leading with 100 points, leaving the W.P. Carey School of Business at zero. However, by the middle of the first half the business school began snatching a number of toss up questions and building 85 points after answering a series of questions on Shakespeare.

The W.P. Carey School of Business team began the second half of the match poised and gaining ground. At some point, business students were able to reach a mere difference of 20 points, but towards the end of the match the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences took a runaway lead by anticipating answers to three consecutive toss up questions.

Business students tried to rebound, but the buzzer ended the match with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences winning 355 to 235.

The CLAS team included Taylor Conroy, Meghan Getz, Erin Hutchinson, Kenneth Lan, Carolyn Moss, Lauren Romero, Carlos Ross and Mary Beth Hutchinson.

Name the civil rights case that overturned the policy of “separate but equal.” Answer: Brown vs. the Board of Education.

The tenth match of the Academic Bowl began with students of Herberger College of the Arts looking on as the University College team quickly built a 100 point lead.

However, after just two toss up questions in the second half, the Herberger College of the Arts tied with the University College team at 155 points. The last minutes of the second half brought a series of back and forth misses for both teams.

In the closest upset of the evening, the Herberger College of the Arts won the bout (saved by the buzzer) by just 10 points, finishing with 240.

Place of birth of novelist Rudyard Kipling? Answer: India.

The Herberger College of the Arts team includes Jay Balk, Stefan Benkowski, Sara Denney, Aaron Diaz, Matthew Hemenway, Rachel Kavanaugh, Kyle McMorris and Ronald Strauss.

Vice President of Research and Economic Affairs Rick Shangraw moderated the last match of the Academic Bowl quarterfinals, featuring the teams from the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering Maroon and the Morrison School of Management & Agribusiness.

From the beginning, the engineering and agribusiness students battled neck to neck during the first half of their match.

At the start of the second half, engineering students broke away with a 100 points lead over agribusiness. But a bonus question and two toss up question wins in the middle of the second half brought agribusiness students to a tie and overtake of engineering.

In a gritty upset, agribusiness won 235 to 160.

Name the compound extracted from petroleum to produce styrene. Answer: benzene.

The winning team of the Morrison School of Management & Agribusiness includes Klayton Lapa, Michael Neider, Mark Chancerelle, Cody Andersen, Denise Malloy, Catherine Patane and Ning Chen.

The four winning teams will now go on to the semifinals of the Academic Bowl for a chance at $4,500 in scholarship money and coveted pinnacle of university brain brawn. Watch the matches on Thursday, Oct. 30 at the studios of KAET, starting at 7 p.m.