Battle Ground Academy’s Upper School and Middle School Science Olympiad teams delivered strong performances at the Middle Tennessee State University Regional Competition on Feb. 21, with the Middle School team earning a fifth-place overall finish and advancing to the Tennessee State Science Olympiad Tournament.
Competing in one of the region’s most rigorous STEM events, students across both divisions demonstrated preparation, problem-solving, and collaboration throughout the day. The Middle School team’s qualification was especially notable given the team’s smaller size and selective event participation.
The Middle School team, coached by Emily Fish, captured two first-place finishes and secured an overall fifth-place team result to qualify for the Tennessee State Science Olympiad Tournament at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville this April.
Middle School Medalists
First place — Entomology
Graham Watson and Gracyn Watson
First place — Metric Mastery
Caitlin Sheehan
Fourth place — Solar System
Will Westerman and Annabelle Jones
Fifth place — Machines
Ved Patel and Hollis Moats
Fifth place — Rocks and Minerals
Annabelle Jones and Gracyn Watson
Fifth place — Write It Do It
Brennan Bobbitt and Ava Wollas
Fifth place — Codebusters
Caitlin Sheehan and Annabelle Jones
Fifth place — Dynamic Planet
Annabelle Jones and Gracyn Watson
Fifth place — Water Quality
Ava Wollas and Caitlin Sheehan
Sixth place — Circuit Lab
Graham Watson and Will Westerman
Fifth graders Brennan Bobbitt and Addy Genovese also competed admirably against older students, gaining valuable experience for future competitions.
The Upper School team, coached by Al Byrnes and Claytan Bondy, consisted of 15 students representing all four grade levels and earned numerous individual event honors, highlighted by a first-place finish in Robot Tour.
Upper School Medalists
First place — Robot Tour
Katy Tallent and Jimin Lee
Second place — Chemistry Lab
Max Froio and Andrew Nickel
Third place — Boomilever
Clark Farler and Allie Williams
Fourth place — Astronomy
Lion Hendrickson and Andrew Nickel
Fourth place — Hovercraft
Devin Wadia and Christian Picciurro
Fifth place — Electric Vehicle
Clark Farler and Max Froio
Fifth place — Experimental Design
Lola Padula, Allie Williams, and Raquel Gorman
Fifth place — Machines
Lion Hendrickson and Davis Medsker
Freshmen Sophia Meoli, Pietro Sgarbi, and Avery Jagger also made strong contributions in their first regional competition, gaining valuable experience alongside their upperclassmen teammates.
These results reflect the continued strength and momentum of Battle Ground Academy’s Science Olympiad program. The Middle School team will represent BGA at the state tournament this spring.
