Academic Team wins second state championship; looks to expand
The academic team poses with the director of the state meet, their winning point tally sheet, and the State Championship trophy.
April 11, 2023
On February 25, the Lightridge Academic team won their second consecutive state championship victory. The team has now qualified for the 2023 High School National Championship tournament in Atlanta. The academic team’s success makes them the most successful competitive team at Lightridge. This year the team competed in 13 competitions, and had top three finishes in eight of them.
Team captain Tristan Holland, senior, emphasized the preparation that the team endured to win.
“This [success] comes from three years of hard work, “said Holland.” This season, more than ever, we’ve had harder practices and more late nights grinding.”
Holland noted that going into a second consecutive state title, the team benefited from reduced anxiety and a better team dynamic.
Despite the team’s success, many in the student body are unsure of the actual specifics of what the team does and just how well they do it. academic team’s success.
“I know that they won- they’ve been winning every competition. They’re going to states or something?” said senior Hawa Safi.
“The academic team is sometimes overlooked,” said sophomore Siddhant Sidav. ” They put in a lot of effort. They should be recognized more.”
Holland offered his perspective on the team’s visibility.
“We’re not looking for more recognition,” he said. “ The recognition from the school has been great. We have a great banner and team photo. What I would like to see is increased participation. Thomas Jefferson High school for example, is able to field multiple teams because of the size of their academic team. We would like our success to inspire more people to join the team and grow the program.”
