A national championship has come to Spelman College.
On Tuesday in Los Angeles, the all-women’s Atlanta college defeated Florida A&M University in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge.
It is Spelman’s first national title in the 30-year history of the event, a 48-team round robin quiz bowl competition geared toward historically black colleges.
"The entire Spelman College community is thrilled to see our students win the 30th Annual Honda All-Star Challenge,” said Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell. “The competition was fierce and we are so proud of our fantastic team. For three decades, the Honda Challenge has showcased the academic excellence of historically black colleges and supported students financially and through networking and mentorship opportunities. We appreciate the commitment to HBCUs and our students."
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Before blanking FAMU in the finals in two games, Spelman beat Tuskegee University in the round of eight and their Atlanta University Center rivals Morehouse College in the semi-finals.
Along with the trophy and bragging rights, Spelman will also bring home a $75,000 check.
Nearly as much as the $100,000 the school has won over the course of their previous trips to the tournament.
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The Spelman team was led by senior and team captain Ariana Benson; junior Jessika Agyepong; and sophomores Maati McKinney and Naomi Steplight.
Dan Bascelli, Spelman’s coordinator of instructional technologies, is the team’s
coach.
The win comes a year after Spelman lost in the 2017-2018 finals to Jackson State University.
Morehouse has won four national championships and Clark Atlanta University has one title.
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