WHEELING - An Ohio County Schools middle school robotics team advanced to the quarterfinals in the Vex Robotics World Championship in Dallas on Saturday before being eliminated.
The middle school edition of the tournament consisted of 480 teams, with 80 teams assigned to each of six divisions, said JoJo Shay, innovation coordinator for Ohio County Schools.
The Roboraiders from Triadelphia Middle School finished high enough in their division to advance, and were seeded 10th in the elimination rounds. Members of the team are Kameron Russell, Sebastian Molina, Nick Franke, Brookes Wharry and Aiden Milton.
They aligned in the elimination round with a team from Reisterstown, Maryland, which is north of Baltimore. The teams won their first match to advance to the quarterfinals before being eliminated, Shay said.
The Roboraiders were the first middle school team from Ohio County to advance past the qualifying rounds to the elimination rounds, she noted. Their success came just two days after the Iron Patriots Mark 1 team from Wheeling Park High School also qualified for the elimination round.
The Roboraiders weren't the only Triadelphia Middle School team to achieve honors at the competition.
Also Saturday, the Robosapiens team from Triadelphia was notified they had won the "Energy Award" for the math division. The award was presented "to the team that shows the most enthusiasm and excitement throughout the event," according to the notification letter.
"The team exhibits a passion for robotics competition that enriches the experience for all," the letter stated. "The team's enthusiasm clearly rises above all other teams."
This year was just the second year that Ohio County Schools competed in robotics tournaments, and both years teams from the school district have won the state robotics championship.
The Vex Robotics World Championship organizers allocated 14 spots to West Virginia robotics teams. Ohio County Schools claimed nine of the spots, with three high school and six middle school teams participating.
Shay reported that as of just after 5 p.m. eastern time the Ohio County students were on buses and making the 17-hour trip back to Wheeling.