Difference between revisions of "University of Illinois Lab"

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(Cleaned up some stuff with conciseness, tone, style, etc.)
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|currentpres = Jonathan Lau, Lawrence Zhao
 
|currentpres = Jonathan Lau, Lawrence Zhao
 
|state = 2015 [[IHSA]] (A), 2019 IHSA (AA) <br> 2018, 2020 [[NAQT Illinois State Championship|NAQT]](Small School and Overall)<br> 2018, 2019, 2020 [[Masonic tournament|Masonic]] (AA)
 
|state = 2015 [[IHSA]] (A), 2019 IHSA (AA) <br> 2018, 2020 [[NAQT Illinois State Championship|NAQT]](Small School and Overall)<br> 2018, 2019, 2020 [[Masonic tournament|Masonic]] (AA)
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|nats appearances = MSNCT: [[2018]] <br>HSNCT: [[2014 HSNCT|2014]], [[2015 HSNCT|2015]], [[2018 HSNCT|2018]], [[2019 HSNCT|2019]]<br>SSNCT: [[2018 SSNCT|2018]] <br>NSC: [[2016 NSC|2016]], [[2017 NSC|2017]], [[2019 NSC|2019]]
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|nats appearances = MSNCT: [[2018]] <br>HSNCT: [[2014 HSNCT|2014]], [[2015 HSNCT|2015]], [[2018 HSNCT|2018]], [[2019 HSNCT|2019]], [[2021 HSNCT||2021]]<br>SSNCT: [[2018 SSNCT|2018]] <br>NSC: [[2016 NSC|2016]], [[2017 NSC|2017]], [[2019 NSC|2019]], [[2021 NSC|2021]]
 
|status = Active
 
|status = Active
 
|size = 250 students in grades 9–12
 
|size = 250 students in grades 9–12
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{confuse|[[University (Normal)|Normal University High School]] or [[University of Chicago Lab|University of Chicago Laboratory School]]}}
 
{{confuse|[[University (Normal)|Normal University High School]] or [[University of Chicago Lab|University of Chicago Laboratory School]]}}
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'''University of Illinois Laboratory High School''', also known as '''"Uni"''' or '''"Uni Lab"''', is a university-funded lab school on the [[University of Illinois]] campus in Urbana. It includes a composite year for 7th and 8th grades alongside the standard four years of high school. As a result, Uni's quiz bowl program includes both a middle school team and a high school team. The team is coached by history teacher Chris Butler.
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'''University of Illinois Laboratory High School''', commonly known as '''"Uni"''' or '''"Uni Lab"''', is a public middle and high school on the [[University of Illinois]] campus in Urbana. Uni was the runner up at both the 2019 and 2021 HSNCTs and placed third at the 2019 PACE NSC. The team was coached by Chris Butler from 2012 to his retirement in 2021. The team is also closely affiliated with the quizbowl team at the [[University of Illinois]] due to geographic proximity on the UIUC campus.
  
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Although the school is known '''"Uni High"''' throughout the Champaign-Urbana area, teams from other parts of the state tend to refer to it as '''"Uni Lab"''', '''"Urbana U-High"''', or '''"University Lab School"'''. People from other parts of the country often confuse it for the [[University of Chicago Lab School]] at national championships.
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==The Early Years (2012–2017)==
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The Uni High Scholastic Bowl team was founded in 2012 and was initially a more casual school club that did not take part in actual tournaments. According to current coach Chris Butler, the team made its official quizbowl debut the following year by scoring −5 points against IMSA in the first round. Despite placing 30th out of 40 teams at the 2013 NAQT State Championship, they qualified for the 2014 and 2015 HSNCTs due to high finishes at downstate Illinois tournaments with weak fields and placed 201st and 145th respectively. In 2015, Uni won the Class A IHSA State Championship after a narrow victory against Peoria Christian, but was frequently outcompeted by larger teams across the state.
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Uni's quiz bowl teams are directly affiliated with the [[University of Illinois]] Academic Buzzer Team, which provides staff for high school tournaments that Uni attends or hosts. Uni was the runner up at both the 2019 and 2021 HSNCTs and placed third at the 2019 PACE NSC.
 
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==Middle school feeders==
 
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Nearly all Uni Quiz Bowl players attended local "bad quizbowl" schools that participated in IESA leagues using questions from [[Avery Enterprises]] and [[Questions Galore]]. One of Uni's private school "feeders", [[Next Generation School]], placed T-13 at the 2017 MSNCT in their first of two years of pyramidal competition and has noted alumni [[Tim Cho]], [[Lawrence Zhao]], and [[Arjun Kala]]. [[Champaign Franklin Middle School]] is the primary public school feeders and placed 4th at the state tournament in 2016, 3rd in 2017, and 4th in 2019. Notable players from Franklin include [[Dylan Bowman]], [[Jonathan Lau]], and [[Shreyas Singh]].
 
  
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==The Early Years (2012–2017)==
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Uni was moved up to class AA in 2015 despite having only 250 students in its high school enrollment due to IHSA's controversial success factor policies. The presence of [[Tim Cho]], [[Ethan Ashbrook]], and [[Dylan Bowman]] meant that Uni became to a regional power. In its first appearance in the IHSA State AA Finals in 2016, Uni went 1–2 in a strong pool and missed playoffs. The team placed second at the 2017 class AA IHSA tournament, losing to [[IMSA]] 500–320 in the championship round after an upset victory against Rockford Auburn. At the NAQT State Championships, Uni placed 11th in 2016 and 9th in 2017. Uni placed second at the Masonic Tournament, losing to [[Chicago Latin]] in the finals. Nevertheless, Uni was not considered a state contender and did not show up in national rankings or discussion.
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The Uni High Scholastic Bowl team first entered the local quiz bowl circuit in 2012 as the Uni Trivia Club and has since expanded to include a B team and a C team, with about 20 active members on all teams.  
 
  
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According to current coach Chris Butler, the team made its debut in 2012 by scoring −5 points against IMSA in round 1. Despite placing 30th out of 40 teams at the 2013 NAQT State Championship, they qualified for the 2014 and 2015 HSNCTs due to high finishes at downstate Illinois tournaments with weak fields and placed 201st and 145th respectively. In 2015, Uni won the Class A IHSA State Championship after a narrow victory against Peoria Christian, but was frequently outcompeted by larger teams, including those from the Chicago area.
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That summer, Tim Cho appeared on the [[Jeopardy!]] Teen Tournament in Culver City, Calfiornia. Tim was one of the most popular contestants in the tournament after he became viral on the front page of Reddit for doing a double-whip on national television. After winning the quarterfinal game, he was eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champion Claire Sattler by just one dollar. Tim's elimination was a subject of much controversy as Sattler had incorrectly answered a question about the meaning of the acronym "RPM" as "rotations per minute" rather than the correct meaning, "revolutions per minute"; however, the judges accepted her answer as correct which gave her just enough money to edge out Tim.
  
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Uni was moved up to class AA in 2015 despite having only 250 students in its high school enrollment due to IHSA's controversial success factor policies. The presence of [[Tim Cho]], [[Ethan Ashbrook]], and [[Dylan Bowman]] meant that Uni became to a regional power. In its first appearance in the IHSA State AA Finals in 2016, Uni went 1–2 in a strong pool and missed playoffs. The team placed second at the 2017 class AA IHSA tournament, losing to [[IMSA]] 500–320 in the championship round. At the NAQT State Championships, Uni placed 11th in 2016 and 9th in 2017. Uni placed second at the Masonic Tournament, losing to [[Chicago Latin]] in the finals. Nevertheless, Uni was not considered a state contender and did not show up in national rankings or discussion.
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==Growth (2018-2019)==
  
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==Into the Big Leagues (2018)==
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Uni largely went unnoticed until the team's strength began to grow in 2018. Uni A began a long string of first-place wins against local teams with the IHSSBCA Kickoff at Mattoon and quickly became recognized as a state contender in Illinois. Even as they entered the national scene, Uni lacked many opportunities to play state powerhouses like Auburn, IMSA, and Stevenson due to its geographic isolation from the other top teams.
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===Beginnings===
 
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Uni A largely went unnoticed until the team's strength began to grow in 2018. The addition of freshman history and science player [[Jonathan Lau]] meant the team had near-complete coverage of the entire canon. Uni A began a long string of first-place wins with the IHSSBCA Kickoff at Mattoon and quickly became recognized as a state contender in Illinois. Even as they entered the national scene, Uni lacked many opportunities to play state powerhouses like Auburn, IMSA, and Stevenson due to its geographic isolation from the other top teams and lack of administrative support.
 
  
 
===Success at NAQT State===
 
===Success at NAQT State===
 
While defending champion, [[Stevenson]], was not present because of poor weather and icy conditions, a team comprised of Tim Cho, Ethan Ashbrook, Dylan Bowman, and Jonathan Lau won the 2018 [[NAQT Illinois State Championship]] by narrowly defeating Auburn in an advantaged final 350–320, finishing out the tournament with a 12–1 record. Uni became the very first school from Downstate Illinois to win the event. With only about 320 students, it also became the smallest ever school to win a large school or open division tournament in Illinois. Uni also became the first team to win the championship with all four starters posting over 20 PP20TUH for the tournament.
 
While defending champion, [[Stevenson]], was not present because of poor weather and icy conditions, a team comprised of Tim Cho, Ethan Ashbrook, Dylan Bowman, and Jonathan Lau won the 2018 [[NAQT Illinois State Championship]] by narrowly defeating Auburn in an advantaged final 350–320, finishing out the tournament with a 12–1 record. Uni became the very first school from Downstate Illinois to win the event. With only about 320 students, it also became the smallest ever school to win a large school or open division tournament in Illinois. Uni also became the first team to win the championship with all four starters posting over 20 PP20TUH for the tournament.
  
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===Masonic victory and IHSA misfortune===
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The following month, Uni clinched a first-place win over Latin in the Masonic tournament for the very first time in school history, after losing to them in the finals of the previous two Masonic championships. Uni then cleared the field at IHSA State sectionals after traveling 100 miles north to Streator. At the IHSA State AA Championship, Uni was placed in the same pool as perennial champions Stevenson and IMSA, losing to both teams and missing the playoffs.  
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The following month, Uni clinched a first-place win over Latin in the Masonic tournament for the very first time in school history. Uni then cleared the field at IHSA State sectionals after traveling 100 miles north to Streator.
 
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At the IHSA State AA Championship, Uni was placed in the same pool as perennial champions Stevenson and IMSA. After losing to an IMSA team they had tied at fifteen by giving up the last five tossups, Uni defeated Macomb for the opportunity to play and lose to Stevenson 570–270. As a result, they did not even qualify for the fourth-place game, ending the team's hope of claiming the triple crown of Illinois state championships.
 
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===National Failures===
 
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At SSNCT, Uni placed 5th in the open division after a lackluster performance. 2018 also marked Uni's very first appearance in the HSNCT Playoffs after they surprised many by going 8–2 in the preliminary rounds, only suffering losses to [[Downingtown STEM]] and previous champions [[Hunter]]. Uni ultimately lost their first two games in playoffs to [[Lexington]] and [[Carnegie Vanguard]], finishing T-51. Due to financial constraints and a lack of support from administration, Uni was unable to attend PACE NSC or any IAC events.
 
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===Individual Recognition===
 
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However, despite all the misfortune, 2018 marked the first appearance on the class AA All-State First Team (Tim Cho), as well as the first appearance on a NASAT team (Ethan Ashbrook on Illinois B). Tim Cho, Ethan Ashbrook, and Jonathan Lau were also selected for the local All-Sectional, again asserting Uni's position as the dominant Illinois team south of Chicago.
 
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==The Dark Horse Contender (2019)==
 
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===Earlybird===
 
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A player poll conducted by [[Hanson Hao]] and [[Arjun Nageswaran]] during June of 2018 placed Uni Lab fourth in the state. Later, coaches and players from all over the United States voted for the top 25 teams in the country. Uni Lab came in 23rd.
 
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On September 29th, 2018, Uni placed second at the Illinois Earlybird after suffereing back-to-back losses to IMSA, though they did manage to beat Stevenson A for the very first time in team history.
 
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The up-and-coming Uni B suffered early losses to [[Glenbard North]] A and Latin B, finishing out the day by clearing the field in the second consolation pool.
 
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===Success at Solo===
 
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In October, Arjun Nageswaran, [[William Groger]], and [[John John Groger]] launched [[GrogerRanks]], a new system of ranking teams designed to be a relative ranking rather than an absolute one (such as [[Fred Morlan]]'s [[HSQBrank]]). The first ranking placed Uni Lab in the #2 spot, mainly because several strong teams (such as [[James E. Taylor]] and [[Blair]]) had not played a tournament yet - the next set of rankings placed Uni at #6.
 
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In the 2018–2019 season, the Uni A team unanimously decided to attend tournaments in the Chicago Metro Area to play against tougher competition. The first of these tournaments was the 2018 [[Scobol Solo]], held at [[New Trier]] High School in Winnetka. Uni sent three players (Tim Cho, Dylan Bowman, and Jonathan Lau) to the tournament: Dylan and Jonathan placed 6th and 4th respectively, becoming the first players from Uni to ever compete in the finals. Tim was eliminated in round 4 after facing [[Ethan Strombeck]].
 
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Dylan won four categories simultaneously (Chemistry, Physics, Instrumental Classical Music, and Painting), while Jonathan won Biology with the second-highest [[conversion depth]] of any category champion (25.3%).
 
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===Winter Tournaments===
 
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On November 3rd, University Lab sent one team to the UIUC [[ACF Fall]] HS Mirror, where they placed second after decisively defeating IMSA, Auburn, and [[St. Joseph]] and losing against [[Detroit Catholic Central]].
 
  
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At the IHSSBCA Kickoff at Stevenson, University Lab A and B competed in the Über-Competitive division for the first time. Despite the absence of Ethan due to the IMEA music district festival, they managed to beat IMSA for the second time in a row, and avenged their previous loss to Fremd by defeating them in the first round. Uni A finished 2nd after back-to-back losses to Stevenson in a two-game final, and Uni B finished 7th of 10 teams.
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At their first SSNCT, Uni placed 5th in the open division. 2018 also marked Uni's very first appearance in the HSNCT Playoffs after they surprised many by going 8–2 in the preliminary rounds, only suffering losses to [[Downingtown STEM]] and previous champions [[Hunter]]. Uni ultimately lost their first two games in playoffs to [[Lexington]] and [[Carnegie Vanguard]], finishing T-51. The team did not attend the 2018 NSC. However, despite these setbacks, 2018 marked the first appearance on the class AA All-State First Team (Tim Cho), as well as the first appearance on a NASAT team (Ethan Ashbrook on Illinois B). Tim Cho, Ethan Ashbrook, and Jonathan Lau were also selected for the local All-Sectional, again asserting Uni's position as the dominant Illinois team south of Chicago.  
  
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On December 15th, the Uni quizbowl team finally achieved their first victory at the 2018 [[New Trier Varsity]] Tournament, with a 7–1 record. Although they lost to [[Chattahoochee]] due to negging, they managed to beat Stevenson a second time and clinch their first ever win against national powerhouse DCC.
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Uni kicked off the 2019 season at the Illinois Earlybird tournament, where they finished second after losing to IMSA. The newly established [[Groger Ranks]] placed Uni in the top 10 teams early in the season, though this was because many teams had not yet played a tournament for which a Groger score could be calculated.
  
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In January, Jonathan Lau, Tim Cho, and members of the B and C teams participated in the 2019 Barron Robinson Memorial Tournament, where they sent "A" and "B" teams of approximately equal strength to the tournament. Jonathan Lau captained Uni "A", boasting the highest power count and PPG in the entire tournament, while Tim Cho captained Uni's "B" team and boasted the second highest power count and PPG'; the "B" team defeated the "A" team twice to take home the championship.
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The A team also decided to attend tournaments in the Chicago Metro Area to play against tougher competition, beginning with the 2018 [[Scobol Solo]], where two of its members placed fourth and sixth in the finals. At the IHSSBCA Kickoff at Stevenson, University Lab A and B competed in the Über-Competitive division for the first time, avenging their Earlybird loss against IMSA before falling to the tournament's hosts in two games. On December 15th, the Uni quizbowl team finally achieved a first place win at the 2018 [[New Trier Varsity]] Tournament, beating national powerhouse DCC for the first time in school history.
  
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===2019 State Series===
 
 
At the 2019 NAQT Illinois State Championship, Uni placed first in the small school division and third overall after close losses against Stevenson and Auburn, who went on to play in the finals. Uni B placed second in the small school division and ninth overall. At the Masonic State Championships, Uni repeated their championship from the previous year by defeating Chicago Christian High School from Palos Heights, IL after losing by ten points in the prelims.  
 
At the 2019 NAQT Illinois State Championship, Uni placed first in the small school division and third overall after close losses against Stevenson and Auburn, who went on to play in the finals. Uni B placed second in the small school division and ninth overall. At the Masonic State Championships, Uni repeated their championship from the previous year by defeating Chicago Christian High School from Palos Heights, IL after losing by ten points in the prelims.  
  
 
In the IHSA State Series, the team advanced to their sixth consecutive appearance at the IHSA state tournament and once again, the team started the day with a match against IMSA; unlike 2018, Uni narrowly clinched a victory by 120 points. After defeating a [[Carl Sandburg High School]] team led by [[Aristotle Vainikos]], Uni faced perennial powerhouse Rockford Auburn in the finals. After both teams failed to convert tossup 20 when Dylan gave an answer of "myelin" for "myosin", a quick power by Dylan clinched Uni's first 2A state title, making them the first school in IHSA history to win titles in both enrollment classes of Scholastic Bowl.
 
In the IHSA State Series, the team advanced to their sixth consecutive appearance at the IHSA state tournament and once again, the team started the day with a match against IMSA; unlike 2018, Uni narrowly clinched a victory by 120 points. After defeating a [[Carl Sandburg High School]] team led by [[Aristotle Vainikos]], Uni faced perennial powerhouse Rockford Auburn in the finals. After both teams failed to convert tossup 20 when Dylan gave an answer of "myelin" for "myosin", a quick power by Dylan clinched Uni's first 2A state title, making them the first school in IHSA history to win titles in both enrollment classes of Scholastic Bowl.
  
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===2019 Nationals===
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Uni was not expected to do as well at the [[2019 HSNCT]] due to their comparatively greater strength in the PACE distribution; nevertheless, they were still considered a dark horse contender. Uni went 8–2 in the preliminary rounds, with losses to [[Vestavia Hills]] and [[Ladue]]. Uni's defeat of [[Friends Select]] in the first round of playoffs guaranteed them a better finish than in 2018. After earning a spot in the top 12, Uni defeated the tournament favorites [[TJHSST]] A with a stat line of 9/7/1, guaranteeing top 7.
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Uni was not expected to do as well at the [[2019 HSNCT]] due to their greater strength in the mACF distribution; nevertheless, they were still considered a dark horse contender. Uni went 8–2 in the preliminary rounds, with losses to [[Vestavia Hills]] and [[Ladue]]. Uni's defeat of [[Friends Select]] in the first round of playoffs guaranteed them a better finish than in 2018. After earning a spot in the top 12, Uni defeated the tournament favorites [[TJHSST]] A with a stat line of 9/7/1, guaranteeing top 7.
 
  
 
In the semifinal, Uni defeated in-state rivals Stevenson A while [[Chattahoochee]] defeated Beavercreek, forcing a play-in game for the final between Uni and Chattahoochee. Uni's victory against Chattahoochee guaranteed them the best finish of any Illinois team in HSNCT history, besting the 2013 [[Loyola Academy]] team's 3rd place finish. Uni ultimately lost to Beavercreek 415–260, earning second place.  
 
In the semifinal, Uni defeated in-state rivals Stevenson A while [[Chattahoochee]] defeated Beavercreek, forcing a play-in game for the final between Uni and Chattahoochee. Uni's victory against Chattahoochee guaranteed them the best finish of any Illinois team in HSNCT history, besting the 2013 [[Loyola Academy]] team's 3rd place finish. Uni ultimately lost to Beavercreek 415–260, earning second place.  
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==National Favorites (2020)==
 
==National Favorites (2020)==
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Despite the loss of top history player Tim Cho, most people in the quizbowl community named Uni as the favorites to win the 2020 national season due to the impressive depth and generalism of Ethan Ashbrook and Dylan Bowman. On the 2019 Groger Ranks Preseason Poll, Uni was ranked #1 overall, with only two submitted ballots failing to rank them #1 (both of which ranked Montgomery Blair A there instead).
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Despite the loss of top history player Tim Cho, most people in the quizbowl community named Uni as the favorites to win the 2020 national season due to the impressive depth and generalism of Ethan Ashbrook and Dylan Bowman. On the 2019 Groger Ranks Preseason Poll, Uni was ranked first on all but two of the submitted ballots.
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===Tournaments===
 
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Uni made its 2020 season debut at the 2019 Groger Ranks Prison Bowl Online Mirror, where they played with a partial team for most of the tournament – this would be a theme, as [[Sasha Rushing]] and Ethan Ashbrook frequently had conflicts due to athletics. Uni won the tournament by defeating [[Hinsdale Central]] in the final game.
 
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At their first appearance on the Illinois circuit, a Uni team that was again shorthanded for much of the day defeated Stevenson to clinch a victory. During the prelim rounds, Jonathan and Ethan broke the [[Hoppes-Mikanowski Limit]] with 83 and 100 PPG, respectively before Dylan arrived after lunch.
 
  
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At their first ever appearance at the WUSTL Fall Academic Tournament, Uni defeated [[Miami Valkey]] in a two game final and Uni B placed sixth, earning them their first ever PACE NSC bid. Dylan and Jonathan broke the Hoppes-Mikanowski Limit with 123 and 74 PPG, respectively, and B team captain [[Lawrence Zhao]] made the All-Tournament team with 71 PPG.
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During the 2019-20 season, Uni played without a full team for the majority of their tournaments, but still managed to secure several victories against top teams in the region at tournaments such as Earlybird and WUFAT. Uni sent six students to compete in the 2019 Scobol Solo, where Dylan Bowman placed second and Jonathan Lau placed fifth. On December 14th, a shorthanded Uni attended their second New Trier Varsity tournament. However, they placed fourth after losses to Chattahoochee, Miami Valley, and eventual champion Stevenson.
  
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The following week, Uni sent six students to compete in the 2019 Scobol Solo. Dylan Bowman went undefeated in the morning and finished second overall after losing to [[Govind Prabhakar]] on a tiebreaker; Jonathan Lau placed 5th after going 5–2 in the morning.
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In the 2020 NAQT Illinois State Championship, Uni was the highest-seeded team and placed first after defeating Stevenson twice in a disadvantaged final. Uni A was the only team at the event with three players at over 50 points per game, and Jonathan Lau made the All-Tournament team with 82 points per game in the morning rounds.  
  
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On November 23rd, Uni sent two teams to play at the IHSSBCA Kickoff tournament in Mattoon. For the third time in 2019, players on Uni broke the Hoppes-Mikanowski Limit (Dylan Bowman and Jonathan Lau); they also scored well as over 26 points per bonus. Uni B placed third due to being forced to play Uni A in the playoffs.
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On March 9th, Uni placed first at the Masonic State Championship for the third consecutive time by defeating [[Chicago Christian]] in the final, despite the absence of Jonathan Lau. The following Monday, they dominated their IHSA regional and took home their fifth consecutive title. Just three days later, the government of Illinois issued a lockdown order due to the inevitable spread of COVID-19 pandemic into the state, which put a permanent end to what would have been one of Uni's best seasons in history.  
  
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On December 14th, a shorthanded Uni attended their second New Trier Varsity tournament. However, they placed fourth after losses to Chattahoochee, Miami Valley, and eventual champion Stevenson.
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== Continued National Success (2020–present)==
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Following the departure of Dylan Bowman and Ethan Ashbrook, voted the 12th and 13th best players in the country, most people in the community expected Uni to fade away from the national quizbowl scene due to its very small enrollment size. On the preseason poll, Uni was ranked 26th overall, but omitted from many ballots.  
  
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In the 2020 NAQT Illinois State Championship, Uni was the highest-seeded team and placed first after defeating Stevenson in a disadvantaged three-game final. Uni A was the only team at the event with three players at over 50 points per game, and Jonathan Lau made the All-Tournament team with 82 points per game in the morning rounds. Uni B unexpectedly took four losses in the morning rounds and finished 27th out of 32 teams after dominating the lowest consolation pool.
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However, Uni solidified its place on a highly competitive Illinois circuit at the 2020 Earlybird, where they placed third after a close loss to Barrington and a convincing win over Stevenson, and also boasted the highest power count, highest team PPG, and the third-highest PPB. At the subsequent LIT Mirror, Uni placed first in the field with an undefeated record. The A team consistently ranked in the top 10-15 teams due to their performances throughout the season and significant improvement by players who had moved up from the previous year's B team.  
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On March 9th, Uni placed first at the Masonic State Championship for the third consecutive time by defeating [[Chicago Christian]] in the final, despite the absence of Jonathan Lau. Two days later, they dominated their IHSA regional, taking home the regional title for the sixth consecutive time.
 
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Uni's 2020 season came to an unfortunate end with the cancellation of the national tournaments due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. However, three members of Uni's A team were selected to the 2020 IHSSBCA All-State First Team, the most of any school that year.
 
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==End of National Dominance (2020–2021)==
 
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Following the departure of Dylan Bowman and Ethan Ashbrook, voted the 12th and 13th best players in the country, most people in the community expected Uni to fade away from the national quizbowl scene due to its very small enrollment size. On the preseason poll, Uni was ranked 26th overall, but omitted from many ballots. However, Uni solidified its place on a highly competitive Illinois circuit at the 2020 Earlybird, where they placed third after a close loss to Barrington and a convincing win over Stevenson, and also boasted the highest power count, highest team PPG, and the third-highest PPB. At the subsequent LIT Mirror, Uni placed first in the field with an undefeated record; the A team was ranked 7th nationally by GrogerRanks after their strong performances at said tournaments. After more teams began playing online tournaments, Uni remained in the top ten in the December rankings, this time at 8th place.
 
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==Other Notes==
 
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* Uni is the only school in the state of Illinois with IHSA State titles in both class A and AA.
 
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* Uni students assisted the University of Illinois quizbowl team in writing the 2019 [[ILLIAC]] set. Ethan Ashbrook wrote RMP, literature, and social science. Dylan Bowman wrote Fine Arts, Chemistry, and Physics. Tim Cho wrote American and European history, while Jonathan Lau wrote Biology, Other Science, World History, and Geography. Sasha Rushing and Lawrence Zhao of Uni B wrote in History and Science, respectively.
 
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* In 2020, Uni assisted with writing the [[LOGIC]] set along with players from Stevenson and Miami Valley. Later that year, Uni also assisted Stevenson, Lambert, and SCP in the [[Southeast-Midwest Housewrite]].
 
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* Uni is the smallest school in quizbowl history to make the top 4 at both HSNCT and PACE in a single year.
 
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* Uni is the only school in [[downstate Illinois]] with a NAQT State Title, and the only school to win both the overall and small school titles in a single year.
 
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* Uni is the only school in downstate Illinois to field a Scobol Solo Champion and one of only two downstate Illinois schools to field multiple finalists in a single year ([[Carbondale]] has done so twice)
 
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==Tim Cho Jeopardy! appearance==
 
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In 2018, Tim Cho (Class of 2019) appeared on the [[Jeopardy!]] Teen Tournament in Culver City, Calfiornia, where he was eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champion Claire Sattler by just one dollar. Tim was one of the most popular contestants in the tournament after he became viral on the front page of Reddit for doing a double-whip on national television. Tim's elimination was a subject of much controversy as Sattler had incorrectly answered a question about the meaning of the acronym "RPM" as "rotations per minute" rather than the correct meaning, "revolutions per minute"; however, the judges accepted her answer as correct and awarded her with just enough money to edge out Tim. Over the course of the tournament, Tim won $10,000.
 
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{{Current Roster 
 
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|TeamName= University Lab
 
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|BC1= White
 
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|FC1= Blue
 
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|BDC1= Orange
 
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|Seniors= (Class of 2021)
 
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* Jonathan Lau
 
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* Caitlin Mamaril
 
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* Joel Armas
 
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|Juniors= (Class of 2022)
 
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* Lawrence Zhao
 
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* William "Ryland" Graham
 
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|Sophomores= (Class of 2023)
 
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* Elan Pan
 
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* Arjun Kala
 
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* Nate Jones
 
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* Janaki Kapadia
 
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* Benjamin "Benji" Chang
 
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* Shoorsen Gandhi
 
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|Freshmen= (Class of 2024)
 
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* Ryan He
 
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* Knox Mynatt
 
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* Maya Viswanathan
 
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* Dmitry "Dima" Sakhartov
 
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* Shreyas Singh
 
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* Evan Wang
 
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* Maxwell He
 
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* Maggie Li
 
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|Other Players= (Class of 2025)
 
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* TBD
 
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|Coach/President= *John Christian Butler
 
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|Assistants =
 
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n/a
 
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|Other Notable People=
 
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*UIUC Academic Buzzer Team
 
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}}
 
  
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==Alumni==
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Like many teams in Illinois, Uni did not attend the in-person 2021 IHSA state series because of safety concerns about the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This ended the team's five-year streak of regional and sectional championships titles. At the 2021 HSNCT, the team went undefeated in playoffs, taking down other top contenders such as Hunter and Wayzata before finally falling to Barrington in the finals. This was the second time the team had achieved a runner-up finish at the tournament, the first being in 2019.
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*Reed Phillips (2018)
 
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*Vinay Koshy (Captain, 2014–2015)
 
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*Ben Schiffer (2016)
 
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*Troy Xu (2014)
 
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*Sofia Carillo (2015)
 
−
*Joshua Meling (2014)
 
−
*Bruce Li (2015)
 
−
*Darren Liu (2015)
 
−
*Sally Pennacchi (2015)
 
−
*Nick Shapland (2015)
 
−
*Jack Zieders (2015)
 
−
*Nicholas Liu (2016)
 
−
*Justin Wang (2016)
 
−
*Grant DeAtley (2015)
 
−
*Tommy Song (2015)
 
−
*Caroline Gilette (Captain, 2017)
 
−
*Andrew Stelzer (Captain, 2016–2017)
 
−
*Matthew Reeder (2017)
 
−
*Emma Roese (2017)
 
−
*Sarah Grunisich (2017)
 
−
*Krishna Subbiah (2019, inactive from 2018)
 
−
*Lawrence Taritsa (2019)
 
−
*Martin Dalling (2019)
 
−
*Tim Cho (Captain, 2018–2019)
 
−
*Robert Nagel (2019)
 
−
*Lia Dankowicz (2019)
 
−
*Dylan Bowman (Captain 2019–2020)
 
−
*Ethan Ashbrook (2020)
 
−
*Sasha Rushing (2020)
 
−
*Sam Polonus (2020, inactive 2018 onward)
 
−
*Srijan Shukla (2019, transferred to Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania)
 
−
*Andy Tang (2019, transferred to Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois)
 
  
−
==Notable Tournament Performances==
 
−
*2015 IHSA State Champions, Class A
 
−
*2017 IHSA State Runner-Up, Class AA (moved from Class A in 2016)
 
−
*2017 [[Masonic tournament|Masonic]] State Runner-Up, Class AA
 
−
*2017 Inaugural [[Scobol Solo#South Central Solo|South Central Solo]]: 2nd place, 3rd place, 5th place
 
−
*2018 NAQT Illinois State Champions
 
−
*2018 [[Masonic tournament|Masonic]] State Champions, Class AA
 
−
*2018 Scobol Solo, 2 Finalists (Fourth Place and Sixth Place)
 
−
*2018 New Trier Varsity Champions
 
−
*2019 NAQT State Championship Small School Champions (3rd overall)
 
−
*2019 Masonic State Champions (AA)
 
−
*2019 IHSA State Champions (AA)
 
−
*2019 HSNCT Runner-Up
 
−
*2019 PACE NSC 3rd Place
 
−
*2020 NAQT Illinois State Champions and Small School Champions
 
−
*Six consecutive IHSSBCA Novice championships (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
 
−
*Six consecutive IHSA Regional and Sectional championships
 
  
−
===National Performances===
+
===National Results===
 
*2014 HSNCT: 211th/272
 
*2014 HSNCT: 211th/272
 
*2015 HSNCT: 145th/272
 
*2015 HSNCT: 145th/272
 
*2016 NSC: 62nd/96
 
*2016 NSC: 62nd/96
 
*2017 NSC: 51st/96
 
*2017 NSC: 51st/96
−
*2018 [[SSNCT]] Open Division: 5th/64
+
*2018 [[SSNCT]] 5th/64 (Open Division)
−
*2018 HSNCT: T51st/352
+
*2018 HSNCT: 51st/352
−
*2018 NASAT: 13th (Ethan Ashbrook of Illinois B)
+
*2019 HSNCT: 2nd/336
−
*2019 HSNCT: Runner-Up
+
*2019 NSC: 3rd/96
−
*2019 NSC: 3rd Place
+
*2021 HSNCT: 2nd/224
−
*2019 NASAT: Champions (Ethan Ashbrook of Illinois A)
 
−
*2019 NASAT: 5th (Tim, Jonathan, and Dylan of Illinois B)
 
−
*2020 NASAT: Ethan, Dylan, and Jonathan of Illinois A (tournament was cancelled)
 
  
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==

Revision as of 21:49, 30 May 2021

University of Illinois Laboratory High School
Uniwebmask.png
Location:
Urbana, IL
Club Presidents Jonathan Lau, Lawrence Zhao
Coaches TBD
State Championships 2015 IHSA (A), 2019 IHSA (AA)
2018, 2020 NAQT(Small School and Overall)
2018, 2019, 2020 Masonic (AA)
National Appearances MSNCT: 2018
HSNCT: 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, [[2021 HSNCT		 2021]]
SSNCT: 2018
NSC: 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
Program Status Active
School Size 250 students in grades 9–12
NAQT Page link
Not to be confused with Normal University High School or University of Chicago Laboratory School.

University of Illinois Laboratory High School, commonly known as "Uni" or "Uni Lab", is a public middle and high school on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana. Uni was the runner up at both the 2019 and 2021 HSNCTs and placed third at the 2019 PACE NSC. The team was coached by Chris Butler from 2012 to his retirement in 2021. The team is also closely affiliated with the quizbowl team at the University of Illinois due to geographic proximity on the UIUC campus.

The Early Years (2012–2017)

The Uni High Scholastic Bowl team was founded in 2012 and was initially a more casual school club that did not take part in actual tournaments. According to current coach Chris Butler, the team made its official quizbowl debut the following year by scoring −5 points against IMSA in the first round. Despite placing 30th out of 40 teams at the 2013 NAQT State Championship, they qualified for the 2014 and 2015 HSNCTs due to high finishes at downstate Illinois tournaments with weak fields and placed 201st and 145th respectively. In 2015, Uni won the Class A IHSA State Championship after a narrow victory against Peoria Christian, but was frequently outcompeted by larger teams across the state.

Uni was moved up to class AA in 2015 despite having only 250 students in its high school enrollment due to IHSA's controversial success factor policies. The presence of Tim Cho, Ethan Ashbrook, and Dylan Bowman meant that Uni became to a regional power. In its first appearance in the IHSA State AA Finals in 2016, Uni went 1–2 in a strong pool and missed playoffs. The team placed second at the 2017 class AA IHSA tournament, losing to IMSA 500–320 in the championship round after an upset victory against Rockford Auburn. At the NAQT State Championships, Uni placed 11th in 2016 and 9th in 2017. Uni placed second at the Masonic Tournament, losing to Chicago Latin in the finals. Nevertheless, Uni was not considered a state contender and did not show up in national rankings or discussion.

That summer, Tim Cho appeared on the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament in Culver City, Calfiornia. Tim was one of the most popular contestants in the tournament after he became viral on the front page of Reddit for doing a double-whip on national television. After winning the quarterfinal game, he was eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champion Claire Sattler by just one dollar. Tim's elimination was a subject of much controversy as Sattler had incorrectly answered a question about the meaning of the acronym "RPM" as "rotations per minute" rather than the correct meaning, "revolutions per minute"; however, the judges accepted her answer as correct which gave her just enough money to edge out Tim.

Growth (2018-2019)

Uni largely went unnoticed until the team's strength began to grow in 2018. Uni A began a long string of first-place wins against local teams with the IHSSBCA Kickoff at Mattoon and quickly became recognized as a state contender in Illinois. Even as they entered the national scene, Uni lacked many opportunities to play state powerhouses like Auburn, IMSA, and Stevenson due to its geographic isolation from the other top teams.

Success at NAQT State

While defending champion, Stevenson, was not present because of poor weather and icy conditions, a team comprised of Tim Cho, Ethan Ashbrook, Dylan Bowman, and Jonathan Lau won the 2018 NAQT Illinois State Championship by narrowly defeating Auburn in an advantaged final 350–320, finishing out the tournament with a 12–1 record. Uni became the very first school from Downstate Illinois to win the event. With only about 320 students, it also became the smallest ever school to win a large school or open division tournament in Illinois. Uni also became the first team to win the championship with all four starters posting over 20 PP20TUH for the tournament.

The following month, Uni clinched a first-place win over Latin in the Masonic tournament for the very first time in school history, after losing to them in the finals of the previous two Masonic championships. Uni then cleared the field at IHSA State sectionals after traveling 100 miles north to Streator. At the IHSA State AA Championship, Uni was placed in the same pool as perennial champions Stevenson and IMSA, losing to both teams and missing the playoffs.

At their first SSNCT, Uni placed 5th in the open division. 2018 also marked Uni's very first appearance in the HSNCT Playoffs after they surprised many by going 8–2 in the preliminary rounds, only suffering losses to Downingtown STEM and previous champions Hunter. Uni ultimately lost their first two games in playoffs to Lexington and Carnegie Vanguard, finishing T-51. The team did not attend the 2018 NSC. However, despite these setbacks, 2018 marked the first appearance on the class AA All-State First Team (Tim Cho), as well as the first appearance on a NASAT team (Ethan Ashbrook on Illinois B). Tim Cho, Ethan Ashbrook, and Jonathan Lau were also selected for the local All-Sectional, again asserting Uni's position as the dominant Illinois team south of Chicago.

Uni kicked off the 2019 season at the Illinois Earlybird tournament, where they finished second after losing to IMSA. The newly established Groger Ranks placed Uni in the top 10 teams early in the season, though this was because many teams had not yet played a tournament for which a Groger score could be calculated.

The A team also decided to attend tournaments in the Chicago Metro Area to play against tougher competition, beginning with the 2018 Scobol Solo, where two of its members placed fourth and sixth in the finals. At the IHSSBCA Kickoff at Stevenson, University Lab A and B competed in the Über-Competitive division for the first time, avenging their Earlybird loss against IMSA before falling to the tournament's hosts in two games. On December 15th, the Uni quizbowl team finally achieved a first place win at the 2018 New Trier Varsity Tournament, beating national powerhouse DCC for the first time in school history.

At the 2019 NAQT Illinois State Championship, Uni placed first in the small school division and third overall after close losses against Stevenson and Auburn, who went on to play in the finals. Uni B placed second in the small school division and ninth overall. At the Masonic State Championships, Uni repeated their championship from the previous year by defeating Chicago Christian High School from Palos Heights, IL after losing by ten points in the prelims.

In the IHSA State Series, the team advanced to their sixth consecutive appearance at the IHSA state tournament and once again, the team started the day with a match against IMSA; unlike 2018, Uni narrowly clinched a victory by 120 points. After defeating a Carl Sandburg High School team led by Aristotle Vainikos, Uni faced perennial powerhouse Rockford Auburn in the finals. After both teams failed to convert tossup 20 when Dylan gave an answer of "myelin" for "myosin", a quick power by Dylan clinched Uni's first 2A state title, making them the first school in IHSA history to win titles in both enrollment classes of Scholastic Bowl.

Uni was not expected to do as well at the 2019 HSNCT due to their comparatively greater strength in the PACE distribution; nevertheless, they were still considered a dark horse contender. Uni went 8–2 in the preliminary rounds, with losses to Vestavia Hills and Ladue. Uni's defeat of Friends Select in the first round of playoffs guaranteed them a better finish than in 2018. After earning a spot in the top 12, Uni defeated the tournament favorites TJHSST A with a stat line of 9/7/1, guaranteeing top 7.

In the semifinal, Uni defeated in-state rivals Stevenson A while Chattahoochee defeated Beavercreek, forcing a play-in game for the final between Uni and Chattahoochee. Uni's victory against Chattahoochee guaranteed them the best finish of any Illinois team in HSNCT history, besting the 2013 Loyola Academy team's 3rd place finish. Uni ultimately lost to Beavercreek 415–260, earning second place.

Expectations were high at 2019 NSC, as the team was better on mACF questions. Uni went undefeated in the 12 Saturday placement games, securing a spot in the top superplayoffs bracket. On Sunday, Uni defeated Rockford Auburn by just ten points, before avenging their HSNCT loss to Beavercreek by soundly defeating them 420–280. In the next three consecutive rounds, Uni was defeated by Montgomery Blair, TJHSST, and James E. Taylor before defeating High Tech. This left them with an identical record to Montgomery Blair, whom they defeated in the tiebreaker to finish third. Ethan Ashbrook made the PACE All-Star game and played with Ethan Strombeck, Hari Parameswaran, and Matthew Siff. They were defeated by Hanson Hao, Anson Berns, William Golden, and Fred Zhang.

National Favorites (2020)

Despite the loss of top history player Tim Cho, most people in the quizbowl community named Uni as the favorites to win the 2020 national season due to the impressive depth and generalism of Ethan Ashbrook and Dylan Bowman. On the 2019 Groger Ranks Preseason Poll, Uni was ranked first on all but two of the submitted ballots.

During the 2019-20 season, Uni played without a full team for the majority of their tournaments, but still managed to secure several victories against top teams in the region at tournaments such as Earlybird and WUFAT. Uni sent six students to compete in the 2019 Scobol Solo, where Dylan Bowman placed second and Jonathan Lau placed fifth. On December 14th, a shorthanded Uni attended their second New Trier Varsity tournament. However, they placed fourth after losses to Chattahoochee, Miami Valley, and eventual champion Stevenson.

In the 2020 NAQT Illinois State Championship, Uni was the highest-seeded team and placed first after defeating Stevenson twice in a disadvantaged final. Uni A was the only team at the event with three players at over 50 points per game, and Jonathan Lau made the All-Tournament team with 82 points per game in the morning rounds.

On March 9th, Uni placed first at the Masonic State Championship for the third consecutive time by defeating Chicago Christian in the final, despite the absence of Jonathan Lau. The following Monday, they dominated their IHSA regional and took home their fifth consecutive title. Just three days later, the government of Illinois issued a lockdown order due to the inevitable spread of COVID-19 pandemic into the state, which put a permanent end to what would have been one of Uni's best seasons in history.

Continued National Success (2020–present)

Following the departure of Dylan Bowman and Ethan Ashbrook, voted the 12th and 13th best players in the country, most people in the community expected Uni to fade away from the national quizbowl scene due to its very small enrollment size. On the preseason poll, Uni was ranked 26th overall, but omitted from many ballots.

However, Uni solidified its place on a highly competitive Illinois circuit at the 2020 Earlybird, where they placed third after a close loss to Barrington and a convincing win over Stevenson, and also boasted the highest power count, highest team PPG, and the third-highest PPB. At the subsequent LIT Mirror, Uni placed first in the field with an undefeated record. The A team consistently ranked in the top 10-15 teams due to their performances throughout the season and significant improvement by players who had moved up from the previous year's B team.

Like many teams in Illinois, Uni did not attend the in-person 2021 IHSA state series because of safety concerns about the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This ended the team's five-year streak of regional and sectional championships titles. At the 2021 HSNCT, the team went undefeated in playoffs, taking down other top contenders such as Hunter and Wayzata before finally falling to Barrington in the finals. This was the second time the team had achieved a runner-up finish at the tournament, the first being in 2019.


National Results

  • 2014 HSNCT: 211th/272
  • 2015 HSNCT: 145th/272
  • 2016 NSC: 62nd/96
  • 2017 NSC: 51st/96
  • 2018 SSNCT 5th/64 (Open Division)
  • 2018 HSNCT: 51st/352
  • 2019 HSNCT: 2nd/336
  • 2019 NSC: 3rd/96
  • 2021 HSNCT: 2nd/224

External Links

NAQT Illinois State Champions

Champions (2005-pres)
Stevenson (2005) · Stevenson (2006) · New Trier (2007) · Auburn (2008) · Auburn (2009) · Auburn (2010) · Stevenson (2011) · Auburn (2012) · IMSA (2013) · IMSA A (2014) · Auburn (2015) · Auburn (2016) · Stevenson A (2017) · UIUC Lab (2018) · Auburn (2019) · UIUC Lab (2020) · Buffalo Grove (2022)
Small School Champions (2013-pres)
Peoria Christian (2013) · Litchfield (2014) · Macomb A (2015) · Macomb A (2016) · Southwestern A (2017) · UIUC Lab (2018) · UIUC Lab (2019) · UIUC Lab (2020) · UIUC Lab (2022)

IHSA State Championship

1987-91
Quincy (1987) · Quincy (1988) · IMSA (1989) · IMSA (1990) · Centralia (1991)
Class AA (1992-present)
Hinsdale Central (1992) · Quincy (1993) · IMSA (1994) · Richwoods (1995) · IMSA (1996) · IMSA (1997) · IMSA (1998) · IMSA (1999) · Stevenson (2000) · IMSA (2001) · Wheaton North (2002) · Wheaton North (2003) · Wheaton North (2004) · Stevenson (2005) · Fremd (2006) · New Trier (2007) · Auburn (2008) · Carbondale (2009) · IMSA (2010) · IMSA (2011) · IMSA (2012) · IMSA (2013) · IMSA (2014) · Auburn (2015) · Hinsdale Central (2016) · IMSA (2017) · Stevenson (2018) · University Lab (2019)
Class A (1992-present)
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