Topics: Student Affairs, Honors College
April 4, 2008
Ball State 's College Bowl team has advanced to the National College Bowl Tournament for the first time in the competition's 55-year history. The competition will take place April 25-27 at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.
Having won its regional tournament at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in February, Ball State's team will now compete against 15 other colleges and universities from around the country, including Ohio State, Arizona State and Georgetown. A game of questions and answers played by two student teams in each round, College Bowl covers a variety of subjects from sports to literature.
Ball State's team of five members includes students James Robinson, Rhett Umphress, Kevin Fitzgerald, Tanner Troyer and Christopher Geldes. Robinson, Troyer and Geldes are students in the Honors College. The team was formed after each member achieved the highest individual scores at the campus competition in November.
"Our team worked really well together," said Fitzgerald, a junior psychology and political science major. "We have specific strengths and weaknesses, but as a whole, we're well-balanced. They're a great group of guys to be with as a team, and everyone was just very positive to each other with regards to our chances of advancing."
John Huber, graduate assistant in the Office of Student Center Programs and team chaperone, attributes the team's success to the support they show for each other, especially after winning difficult matches against Purdue and Southern Illinois universities.
"You get penalized if you buzz in early with the incorrect answer, but they are really good about waiting until the entire question is read," Huber said. "It's a really good team dynamic considering there is no formal practice."
By Jennifer Strempka