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A Formula for Success: Science Olympiad Competes at Regionals

By Dean Vayias ‘18

The Chaminade Science Olympiad teams continued their successful seasons on Saturday when they performed exceptionally well at the annual Nassau West Regional Tournament.  It has been a long and challenging competition season for the Flyers, but Bro. Benjamin Knapp, S.M. ’92 stressed that this tournament would be the most important thus far.  After a two week layoff after the Y.U.S.O. invitational, both teams showed no signs of rust on competition day.

Ken Pham ’18 (left) and Pierro Salas-Allende ’18 (right) prepare their robot arm for competition. The duo finished 9th in their event.
Ken Pham ’18 (left) and Pierro Salas-Allende ’18 (right) prepare their robot arm for competition. The duo finished 9th in their event.

For the second year in a row, Team A finished in a remarkable 3rd place.  Although the team could not top familiar foes Kellenberg Memorial and Great Neck South, it secured their place at the New York State Science Olympiad C Division State Tournament.  The team’s senior leaders propelled Team A to their outstanding final result.  Top finishers included Joseph Graham ’17 and Matthew Mullin ’17 who took 1st place in Robot Arm, Jack Bauer ’17 and Ted Flaherty ’17 who finished in 2nd in Astronomy, and Justin Knowles and Jake McDermott ’17 who claimed the 3rd place medal in Disease Detectives. Knowles and Mullin also placed 2nd in Anatomy and Physiology.

Dylan Richardson ’19 (near) and Chris Mercadante ’18 (far) are hard at work on their Dynamic Planet test.
Dylan Richardson ’19 (near) and Chris Mercadante ’18 (far) are hard at work on their Dynamic Planet test.

Team B also had a respectable finish, placing 12th overall.  Notable performances included Piero Salas-Allende ’18 and Kenneth Pham ’18 who secured 5th place in Helicopters. Charles Cullen ’19 and Colin Capece ’18 also placed 5th in Write it Do it.

As Team B finishes its year of competition, Team A will get set for the state championship, where they finished 9th just one year ago.  While the performances by both teams this weekend displayed Chaminade’s dominance of the Nassau West region, the state tournament will present a whole new challenge and feature a much higher level of competition.  The Flyers will have to pass through a gauntlet of perennial Science Olympiad powers, including the likes of  Ward-Melville and Fayatteville-Manlius, to repeat last season’s result.  President Jack Bauer ’17 notes that there is still plenty of work to be done to prepare for the competition.  “We really performed well at Regionals, but there is still room for improvement.”  The Flyers have accomplished an incredible amount this season, but a top finish at the state tournament would be the ultimate prize.