Local mathletes test their skills at MathCounts

Over 100 students from eight different schools filled the pavilion on Expedition Island last Friday, sometimes quietly working away on problems with pen and paper, sometimes loudly cheering on their teammates after they called out a correct answer. 

The Green River MathCounts Invitational brought together "mathletes" from middle schools across Southwest Wyoming. The students had the chance to test the math skills they've been working on the past several months, and to prepare for even bigger competitions coming up. 

"It's a long season," MathCounts Coach Dogan Gunduz from Lincoln Middle School explained. "We start in November and we go through two quarters."

Coming to the end of the season, the LMS team hosted the Green River Invitational, which was their last normal competition before moving to the Regional and State level. The team will compete at the MathCounts Regional Tournament this week, with the top 14 mathletes from each school getting to compete at the Chapter Competition. The top four teams in the region will move on to MathCounts States. Then the top four mathletes in the state will go to Nationals in Washington, D.C. 

Students also have an additional chance to compete at the State level since Wyoming hosts its own separate State Math Contest.

The hard work of the LMS mathletes to this point has been paying off. Coach Gunduz thought the Green River Invitational went very well, and said their region and students have strong chances to continue on in competition.  

"I think we have a chance that maybe one or two kids might get on the state team, the national team," he noted. 

Some of the LMS students that have been doing particularly well this year, according to Gunduz, include Luke Stanton, Archer Kinney, and sixth graders Finley Sax and Isaac Gonzalez.

"What I liked this year is that we have more sixth graders, so we're getting more interest at the younger ages," Gunduz said. "So I think that's where our improvement is in terms of numbers."

With both new and experienced students, the MathCounts program has a chance to continue its purpose of teaching problem solving skills and helping students find connections. 

Green River MathCounts Invitational results 

Top four teams 

1. Rock Springs Team 1 (Noah George, Hazel Wheeler, Melody Pooler, Rylee Burton) 

2. Green River Team 2 (Maxwell Kendall, Archer Kinney, Thayne Smith, Hunter Jewkes)

3. Pinedale Team 1 (Frank Zakotnik, Denym Free, Sam Robbins, David Covert) 

4. Green River Team 1 (Luke Stanton, Kaiden Olson, Finley Sax, Isaac Gonzalez) 

Top nine individuals (by rank 1-9)

Rock Springs Junior High: Noah George

Green River Middle School: Luke Stanton

Rock Springs Junior High: Hazel Wheeler

Pinedale Middle School: Frank Zakotnik

Pinedale Middle School: Cohen Evans

Green River Middle School: Finley Sax

Rock Springs Junior High: Brooklyn Jackson-Dunn

Green River Middle School: Archer Kinney

Green River Middle School: Thayne Smith

 

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