BHS Robotics Team Qualifies For World Championships (ICYMI)

BENSALEM, PA — Bensalem High's robotics team is heading the world championships after a strong finish at a competition this past weekend at Lehigh University.

The Fightin' Robotic Owls took fifth place out of 128 teams at the FIRST Robotics Mid-Atlantic District Championship at Lehigh. In doing so, they qualified for the competition's world championships in Detroit.

"It's a great opportunity to show off our team, our school and our robot to the world," said senior and program manager Katherine Matveykina.

Ranked 41st going into the competition, the Owls were going up against some of the top competition in the country. After their first few matches, they were in fifth place, but quickly dropped to 29th after some technical problems with their robot.

"There was some electrical problems with the robot shorting out on the field," said Maxwell Parmalchuck, the team's fabrication lead. "But we fixed the problem and performed solidly for the rest of our matches, becoming one of the top 3 scorers at the event."

Although the team has qualified for the world championships, it's not yet certain they'll be able to go. Between registration fees and travel costs, the trip is expected to cost upward of $20,000.

If you would like to donate toward the team's travel fund, you may do so at the Fightin' Robotic Owls website.