Great Valley Takes 1st, Wins $2K At Chesco Academic Competition

MALVERN, PA — Great Valley High School will be sending a team of brilliant students to Harrisburg for a state academic competition after the team placed first in a regional contest.

Great Valley High School took on West Chester Henderson and Unionville high schools on March 27 in a varsity match of the 35th Chester County Academic Competition.

In the end, Great Valley took home the trophy after scoring 130 points. West Chester Henderson came in second place with a score of 125 and Unionville received third place with 105 points.

This is Great Valley High School's third year winning the competition, and they will represent Chester County at the Pennsylvania State Academic Competition on Friday, April 26 in Harrisburg. West Chester Henderson will also compete at the State Academic Competition, as they were the second-place team.

The team earned a prize $2,000 for being crowned victors.

“It’s really great to continue the legacy of our team. The seniors who graduated last year were great mentors to all of us, and we were proud to continue the club’s legacy and win a third straight championship,” said Will Lewis, a Great Valley senior. “The goal is to win the state championship and go back-to-back.”

Bernard McCauley, coach of the Great Valley varsity team, is proud of the hard work his team devoted to preparing for the competition.

"The entire league is full of quality teams and I’m excited for this group to come out on top," he said. "None of them were varsity players before this season, so for them to put in the work and win Great Valley a third straight league championship is a statement about their work effort and commitment more than anything else."

“Coming into this season, we knew we would go back to states as the defending champion. That allowed the team to focus on improving without the pressure of needing to win the finals to advance. Now that we are here, we know the quality of teams like Henderson, Trinity, Friends Select, Delaware Valley and Hempfield that are going to compete to win it. It’s our job to be better prepared than they are and our hope to get a good draw of questions on April 26."

"It felt rewarding after all the hours of practice we put in. Most of all, it was a very emotional way to end my four years on this team.” Nandhini Krishnan, another senior at Great Valley, said. “We celebrated the win but nothing changed. We are working hard to win states and are ready to have fun as a team at the Capitol."

Junior varsity teams from West Chester Henderson, Great Valley and West Chester East High Schools also competed March 27. West Chester Henderson took the title of champion with a tie breaker. Great Valley followed with a score of 130 and West Chester East came in third with 90 points.

The Chester County Academic Competition is sponsored by Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union and is coordinated by CCIU.

Following the championship match, Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union awarded scholarships to the three varsity teams. West Chester Henderson was awarded $1,000 for their second-place finish; and Unionville received a $500 scholarship for third place.