4/22/13

Potsdam Again Victorious in SLU Math Contest

CANTON - A team from Potsdam Central School won the 69th Annual Pi Mu Epsilon Interscholastic Mathematics Contest, held April 17 at St. Lawrence University and sponsored by the University's mathematics, computer science and statistics department and the local chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the mathematics honorary. The victory marks the fourth straight Pi Mu Epsilon Interscholastic Cup for Potsdam.

Members of the winning team from Potsdam are Chatham Borsh, Nathan Gingrich, Andrew Hou and Ben Miller.

Forty-five students from 10 area high schools participated in the contest, which consists of an individual examination and team-challenge problems.

For the second year in a row, the Gold Medal in individual competition went to Miller, of Potsdam. Gingrich and Hou tied for the Silver Medal, while Hou finished fourth.

The Robert Cromie Scholarship, named in honor of Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Robert Cromie and worth up to $5,000, is given to the top-ranking senior or one of the four alternates should they choose to attend St. Lawrence University. This year's top-ranking senior is Borsh. The two alternates were E.J. Curtis of Canton and Jessica Fulk of Norwood-Norfolk.

Scholarships to St. Lawrence are also awarded for the three top-ranked non-seniors, all of whom came from Potsdam this year. They are Miller, Gingrich and Hou in amounts up to $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

In team competition, Potsdam placed first, Colton-Pierrepont second and Canton third. The highest-ranking members for each team were Joe Smith, Brasher Falls; Curtis, Canton; Kiernan Perry, Colton-Pierrepont; Sarah Yablonski, Gouverneur; Reilly Pierce, Heuvelton; Mary Young, Madrid-Waddington; Sarah Murphy, Massena; Fulk, Norwood-Norfolk; Miller, Potsdam; and Brandon Votra, St. Regis Falls.

The top 10 in individual competition were Miller, Potsdam; Gingrich, Potsdam; Hou, Potsdam; Borsh, Potsdam; Perry, Colton-Pierrepont; Young, Madrid-Waddington; Andrew Jenkins, Colton-Pierrepont; Curtis, Canton; Fulk, Norwood-Norfolk; and Noah Whalen, Colton-Pierrepont.

Mathematics, computer science and statistics website