For Immediate Release

Contact: Jesse Morris, PE (605) 391-6449

Students Win South Dakota State Math Competition

Pierre, SD – March 11, 2017 — A team of middle school Mathletes^® from Mickelson Middle School in Brookings, SD won the South Dakota state MATHCOUNTS competition for the third year in a row. The top individual was Serena An from Mickelson Middle School, who also won the state competition last year.

Members of the winning team are: Serena An, Samyok Nepal, Ryan Nielson and Carl Steinlicht, coached by Shannon Renkly.

The second and third place teams are from Edison Middle School of Sioux Falls, and Holgate Middle School of Aberdeen, respectively.

The top four individuals from the State Competition will represent South Dakota at the 2017 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition in Orlando, FL, May 13-16. The four team members are Serena An (Mickelson Middle School – Brookings), Samyok Nepal (Mickelson Middle School – Brookings), Drew Comstock (Holgate Middle School – Aberdeen), and Tristina Ting (Mickelson Middle School – Brookings). The coach is Shannon Renkly (Mickelson Middle School – Brookings).

In our increasingly technological society, those students who do not begin developing strong problem-solving, logical thinking and analytical abilities in middle school will face an uphill battle later in life if they wish to pursue a medical, scientific, mathematical, engineering or technical career. As a national math enrichment, coaching and competition program designed to improve math skills among U.S. students, MATHCOUNTS prepares students for future career opportunities and success. More than 6 million students across the U.S. have participated in MATHCOUNTS programs.

The state program is sponsored by the South Dakota Engineering Society and 3M Gives Foundation. Leadership at the local levels of the MATHCOUNTS Competition Series is provided by members of the South Dakota Engineering Society of the National Society of Professional Engineers.

The National Sponsors of MATHCOUNTS are Raytheon Company, Northrop Grumman Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, National Society of Professional Engineers, CNA Foundation, Phillips 66, Texas Instruments Incorporated, 3Mgives, Art of Problem Solving and NextThought.  MATHCOUNTS was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and CNA Foundation.

Additional information on MATHCOUNTS is available at www.mathcounts.org.