Benton Quiz Bowl finishes second at state tournament
The Benton High School Quiz Bowl had a successful year finishing in second place at the 2022 6A Quiz Bowl State Tournament where they received a check for $1,500 for their placement.
The team won first place at the 6A Quiz Bowl Regional tournament and third place at the Bryant Quiz Bowl Invitational.
The team consists of students from the 10th to 12th grades. Members of the team are sophomores Natalie Williams, Owen Schwartz, Olivia Kreulen, Harrison Reeves, Jonathan Dorsey, Hudson Chandler, juniors Elizabeth Armstrong, Blake Covert, Austin Crouse, Joseph Dorsey, Abigail Parnell and seniors Erin Brasher, Emma Dudley, Clara Ehorn, Graham Eisele, Ethan King and Joseph Morris.
Michelle Hastings, who teaches AP literature and writing at Benton High School, started coaching the team in the 2020 school year.
“We excelled further than I could have ever imagined and it has been such a good way to wrap this year and my quiz bowl career,” said
Ehorn.
The Senior High Regional Tournament for 6A was hosted at Benton High School this year. The team finished first place after beating Searcy, Jonesboro and then Lake Hamilton in the finals, it was through regionals they can qualify for state.
The state tournament was held at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. There were five teams total in Benton’s division.
At state, they defeated Greenwood, Searcy and Lake Hamilton before falling to Russellville in the grand finals, which were at the Arkansas PBS Studios in Conway on April 23. Dudley, who is the team captain, was awarded Most Valuable Player at the tournament. The tournament was broadcasted on AETN.
The team practiced weekly after school. Some days they would practice scrimmage games and run study sessions.
For sophomore Natalie Williams, it was her first year on the high school quiz bowl team.
“It was my first time in a high school game. My mind was blown,” she said.
Coach Hastings said she has enjoyed her first two years as a coach and looking forward to the future.
“They’ve been a delight,” Hastings said of the team.
She added that even though it is just her second year coaching quiz bowl, the students have made it easy for her because of how much work they are willing to do on their own.
“I remember when I got the team, their old coach told me they do all the work,” she said.