Four middle school students from Indianapolis’ Sycamore School showcased their problem-solving skills and love of mathematics to score first-place team honors in the Indiana Society of Professional Engineers’ Indiana MATHCOUNTS competition on March 9, this year hosted by Rose-Hulman.

A total of 109 students from 30 middle schools from throughout Indiana participated in three rounds of competition: Sprint, testing quickness to solve problems; Target, testing problem-solving skills; and Team, testing teamwork abilities.

Sycamore School’s championship team consisted of Evan Ting, who placed second in the individual competition; Justin Warren, sixth; Gavin Sigua, seventh; and Shayen Maun, 11^th. The team is coached by teacher Trent Tormoehlen.

Creekside Middle School of Carmel placed second with top individual scorer Alexander Gao and teammates Orson Lu, ninth; Ekansh Malhotra, 10^th; and Justin Li, 15^th. The team’s coach is teacher Ann Beyer.

West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School took home third-place honors. Team members were Arjun Raman, third individually; Triton Mei, 25^th; Jiuru Liu; and Ehan Qazi. Lucas Harmon is the team’s coach.

The top four individual place finishers – Alexander Gao (Creekside), Evan Ting (Sycamore School), Arjun Raman (West Lafayette Junior/Senior), and Roland Li (West Lafayette Intermediate) – will represent Indiana at the national MATHCOUNTS competition in Washington, D.C., on May 12-13. The team will be coached by Sycamore School teacher Trent Tormoehlen.

Other top-scoring students will be eligible for scholarships and summer STEM educational opportunities from Indiana colleges and universities.

Organized by ISPE and Rose-Hulman’s Department of Mathematics, MATHCOUNTS is one of the nation’s largest and most successful education partnerships that increases academic and professional opportunities for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. Sponsors were Toyota Motor Corporation, Tabco, ISPE, and Rose-Hulman. The Indiana competition was supervised by Rose-Hulman mathematics professor Leanne Holder with assistance from faculty colleagues Mario Simoni, John Rickert, Stephanie Hill, and Simon Jones, along with Math Department administrative assistant Katie Lindsey and several Rose-Hulman student volunteers.

Indiana Society of Professional Engineers’ Indiana MATHCOUNTS Competition

March 9, 2024 – Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology – Terre Haute, Indiana

Top 7 Teams: 1. Sycamore School, Indianapolis; 2. Creekside Middle School, Carmel; 3. West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School, West Lafayette; 4. Carmel Middle School, Carmel; 5. West Lafayette Intermediate School, West Lafayette; 6. Clay Middle School, Carmel; 7. Northridge Middle School, Middlebury.

Top 26 Individuals: 1. Alexander Gao, Creekside Middle School; 2. Evan Ting, Sycamore School; 3. Arjun Raman, West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School; 4. Roland Li, West Lafayette Intermediate School; 5. Sophia Chen, Carmel Middle School; 6. Justin Warren, Sycamore School; 7. Gavin Sigua, Sycamore School; 8. Ashwin Krishnan, Carmel Middle School; 9. Orson Lu, Creekside Middle School; 10. Ekansh Malhotra, Creekside Middle School.

11. Shayen Maun, Sycamore School; 12. Taran Sheth, Perry Heights Middle School; 13. Chris Cheng, Clay Middle School; 14. Amy Cui, Sycamore School; 15. Justin Li, Creekside Middle School; 16. Krishna Una, Sycamore School; 17. Michelle Park, Saint Patrick Catholic School; 18. James Vickery, Homeschooled – Indianapolis; 19. Daniel Ding, Creekside Middle School; 20. Hrishabh Bhowmik, Clay Middle School.

21.Rodion Zuban, Clay Middle School; 22. Houwen Wei, Non-Affiliated Competitor; 23. Jayden Xia, Center Grove Middle School; 24. Anubhav Biswal, Creekside Middle School; 25. Triton Mei, West Lafayette Junior/Senior High School; 26. Leon Zeng, West Lafayette Intermediate School.