One local robotics team recently qualified for the 2025 Indiana Robotics State Championship.
Another one won an award for the second time this season.
During a VEX Robotics tournament Jan. 18 at Immanuel Lutheran School in Seymour, Trinity Lutheran High School’s Team 1483C won all of its matches and the tournament to earn a trip to the state competition, which is March 22 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.
“They competed very well. They didn’t lose a single match the whole tournament! And congratulations to the whole Trinity robotics team, who all did awesome this weekend,” said a post on the Trinity Lutheran Robotic Facebook page.
The team consists of Nolan Tiepen, Rylan Adair, Lincoln Huff and Jacob Lorenz. Earlier this season, the team placed 12th at a tournament in Fort Wayne and second at a tournament in Seymour.
Also during the recent tournament at Immanuel, Seymour High School’s Team 31330C earned the Innovate Award for the second time this season.
The award recognizes an effective and well-documented design process for a novel aspect of a team’s robot design or gameplay strategy. The submission of an engineering notebook is a requirement for the Innovate Award, and the team that earns the award also should be among the top contenders for the Design Award.
An interview with the judges and gameplay observation by the judges during the tournament also played into the award.
“We are so proud of this team that consistently brings strategy, teamwork and increased abilities to the whole team and our SMS teams,” coach Amy Miller Kuzel said in a post on the Seymour High School Robotics Facebook page. “They not only inspire themselves to stay motivated, do what is right and progressively improve. They inspire all teams they connect with.”
Team members competing at the tournament were Leo Holle, Nikita Cox and Kellan Stanfield.
“Team 31330C brings their A game every competition,” Miller Kuzel said. “Watching Kellan intensely programming in the pits stood out along with the whole team networking the room, scoping out competition and strategy. I am so proud of the example they are providing to all teams.”
