Mapleton wins, Springville comes in second at the 3rd Annual Nebo Middle/Junior High Math Tournament

On Saturday, nearly one hundred mathletes in grades 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th gathered to compete in the 3^rd annual Nebo Math Tournament.  Students from nearly all of the district Middle Schools and Junior High Schools competed in two individual rounds and one team round covering topics in Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Number Theory. 

 After the grading was completed, Mapleton Junior High (MJHS) received the highest scores and earned the trophy for the top school for the second year in a row.  They were followed closely by Springville Junior High (SJHS), who claimed 2^nd place for both 9^th and 8^th grade teams.  MJHS was led by the first place individual finisher and top seed, 9^th grader Caleb A., followed closely in second by 9^th grader Beckett M.  Third place belonged to 9^th grader George B. of SJHS.  The top three 8^th graders, all from MJHS were Jordan C. (fourth overall), Brayden B. (fifth overall), and Lilia S (tenth overall).  The top three 7^th graders, were Carson B. from Maple Grove (sixth overall), Gibson S. from Maple Grove (seventh overall), and Samwise E. from Diamond Fork (twelfth overall).  The top three 6^th graders were Andrus J. from Spring Canyon, Landon H. from Maple Grove, and Steven G. from Maple Grove.

 The top 16 students overall competed in the final round of the competition, a head-to-head bracket round.  The students in seed order were Caleb A., Beckett M., George B., Jordan C., Brayden B., Carson B., Eliza S., Gibson S., Ashleigh O., Lilia S., Zachary F., Samwise E., Will D., Neil P., Mason E., and Jimmy S.  The bracket round included six 9^th graders, six 8^th graders and four 7^th graders.  Of the sixteen bracket-round students, ten were from MJHS, three from Maple Grove, two from SJHS, and one from Diamond Fork. 

 The competition was tight as four higher seeds upset the lower seeds in the first round (Will, Samwise, Lilia, and Zachary).  The quarterfinals saw the biggest upset with the top student, Caleb, falling to the 8^th seed, Gibson.  In the semifinals, Will toppled Gibson, while George narrowly beat Beckett.  In the final round, Will’s Cinderella contest came to an end, as George claimed the top spot, giving SJHS the countdown champion for the 3^rd year in a row.  Special thanks to Mathnasium of Spanish Fork for sponsoring the contest, and congratulations to all of the mathletes on a great tournament!