The MLWGS Quiz Bowl team is no stranger to competitions, and they made this clear with their  magnificent performance at the VCU tournament. In a spectacular demonstration of spirit, skills, knowledge and coordination, all JV, Standard, and Nationals teams triumphed. This remarkable success speaks volumes about the current health of the MLWGS Quiz Bowl program, which has only grown and improved under the mentorship of seasoned players. 

“VCU winter was incredible!” commented team captain Katie Watson (‘25). “We brought six teams to the tournament, which was more than any other school. Everyone did amazing and we had tons of top scorers. Many people that competed have only been playing for a few months, so the fact that we managed to win the JV and Standard divisions in addition to placing second in Nationals is super impressive and exciting.” 

Quiz Bowl’s many victories only scratch the surface of what the team has accomplished this year. The team also qualified another group for Quiz Bowl nationals and increased the total teams participating from MLWGS to two. But it is not just pure intellectual and nerdy excellence that has been getting MLWGS Quiz Bowl this far. Every day during lunch you can find a group of highly enthusiastic students competing in the Quiz Bowl room. It’s this teamwork, open-mindedness, and shared enthusiasm for learning that has allowed the team to thrive. 

"I truly enjoyed playing alongside Rohan, Bridget, and Serine, who each worked incredibly hard and played a vital role in our success. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to support them as we worked together to qualify for nationals," said Ishaan Patankar (‘28), a member of the nationals qualifying team. Achieving  another qualification for Nationals is not a small victory. In fact, national championship Quiz Bowl tournaments are among the most challenging academic contests in the United States of America that attract the best young brains nationwide. The repeated ability of this academic institution to qualify multiple teams underscores MLWGS’s status as a school for scholars. 

Preparing for nationals is a long and tiresome process. Work continues and becomes more focused in honing specific and more in depth analysis in subjects such as science and history as team members continue to deepen their awareness of the matter. Overlapping of buzz timing and players is crucial, and these skills are constantly worked on in strategy sessions to ensure that all players agree. It is a tight calendar, but it is a calendar that has been warmly accepted by the team. 

The recent tournament at the Virginia Commonwealth University was a typical example of the team’s hard work being rewarded. Dozens of schools challenged the teams from MLWGS, showcasing their own talent and the desire to win. The performance of the JV team demonstrated the potential of the team later down the line by presenting a performance that could have equaled performance by teams in other brackets like the standard division. “I really enjoyed the intellectual jousting of Quiz Bowl in the early days of December. As a group, our teams worked hard to prepare and succeed at the tournament throughout all three divisions” said Devansh Kumar (‘28), a member of the Quiz Bowl JV division. On the other hand, the Varsity and Standard teams used their seasoned experience to claim victories in their divisions . The victories at VCU also acted as a morale boost to prepare for the Nationals. This year, two teams made it, and students are willing to give their best to the team and are proud to compete for MLWGS. 

On the eve of this year’s Nationals on Memorial Day in Atlanta Georgia, the MLWGS Quiz Bowl team is more than ready for the competition. Team members are engaging in concentrated study and fine tuning of their skills for the contest. But then there are moments of joy and expectation mixed into the notion of labor. The trip to Nationals is not only performing in competitions, it’s about development, knowledge, and togetherness as well. However, win or lose, the MLWGS Quiz Bowl team is already most deserving of the title: true champions.