The varsity and junior varsity Science Olympiad teams both ranked first place overall at the Harper College Regional Tournament March 7. The team is now preparing for the state tournament on April 10. 

The varsity team earned first place in 18 of the 23 events with no ranking below third for the other five events. The junior varsity team had a comparable performance, earning first place in 12 of the 23 events. 

“The team has been getting better and better each year,” Lucy Nathwani, a team captain, said. “We’ve been working really, really hard and working on building our knowledge up over the years.”

The team has been practicing in person on Wednesdays and Saturdays leading up to the competition. According to Lucy, these sessions have facilitated collaboration on events that require building. 

“For the team as a whole, it’s reinforced the idea that we are a team,” Lucy said. “We aren’t just individual members. It’s really helped build a sense of team spirit.”

Lucy said she hopes that the strong performance will continue at the state tournament. 

“This was absolutely an amazing competition for us, Lucy said, “and it was the result of several years worth of hard work.”