May 12, 2008
Undergraduates triumph in National College Bowl
tournament
sdickman@rochester.edu
A five-student team from the University defeated teams
from 15 other universities in a come-from-behind, first-place finish in
this year’s National College Bowl Tournament in St. Paul, Minn. The
team will hold an engraved silver cup until next year’s competition.
“At one point, Rochester was down by 140 points
in the second game of the four straight that they won, but clawed their way
back and took a five-point lead,” said Tom Michael of the College
Bowl, about the April 25 to 27 tournament at Macalester College. After
that, the team won two more games in the playoff round to capture the
title. The national championship is the first for a University team.
Team members Benjamin Seitelman with cup; from left Rebekah Greene, captain; William Finan; Laura Nemeth, Eric Heihl, and Jack Jchermayer '04, coach.
The College Bowl’s illustrious history is known
through television, radio, and on college campuses. The game of questions
and answers played by two teams of competing students rewards general
knowledge and quick recall, and has entertained audiences for more than 50
years.
Members of Rochester’s winning team are Rebekah
Greene, captain and an English graduate student from Rochester; William
Finan III, a freshman from Irondequoit, N.Y., who was named an All-Star
player; Eric Keihl, a senior majoring in history from Livonia, N.Y.; Laura
Nemeth, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry from Fairport, N.Y.; and
Benjamin Seitelman, a freshman majoring in political science from
Highland Park, Ill. The team is coached by Jack Schermayer ’04 from
Fairport, and advised by Stacey Fisher, assistant director of student
activities.
“Our students give us many reasons to be proud
of their intellectual achievements, both in the classroom and in their
extra-curricular activities,” said Dean of the College Richard
Feldman. “This national championship in the College Bowl is yet more
evidence that we have at Rochester some of the very brightest and most able
students of any university in the nation.”
Rochester has fielded teams in regional College Bowl
tournaments since the early 1980s, and has competed at nationals three
times since 2002—finishing in the top three in both 2003 and 2005.
| Previous story | Next story |
