Liberal Arts and Science Academy of Austin
| LASA | |
| |
|---|---|
| Location: Austin, TX | |
| Coaches | Jason Flowers |
| State Championships | 2008 |
| National Championships | N/A |
| Program Status | Unknown |
| School Size | Unknown |
| NAQT Page | link |
The Liberal Arts and Science Academy of Austin is a magnet high school in Austin, Texas. The Quiz Bowl team was refounded on April 8, 2007 after a long hiatus.
History
Inaugural Season
Though a team had existed at LASA in the past, participating in the 1994 TOC, the modern LASA Quiz Bowl team and club was founded when future A-Teamers Albert Bayer and Tyler Smith were discussing the game in Coach Jason Flowers' AP US History class. Flowers overheard and remarked that he once participated in Quiz Bowl, and plans were made for the formation of a team. Two weeks later, LASA participated in its first tournament at the TQBA Texas State Championships, losing to St. John's for the title. This qualified LASA for the 2006-07 NAQT HSNCT in Chicago, where the team placed a respectable 106th after having only played one tournament.
2007-08
LASA kicked off its 2007-08 campaign by aggressively recruiting freshmen and sophomores. As a result, seniors Albert, Tyler, Prashant, Cyrus, and Navonil were split to guide the newcomers on two varsity teams. Early season appearances include a finals sweep of the ULL fall Quiz Bowl tournament and a finals loss to St. John's A at the TBQA Kickoff tournament. Coach Jason Flowers then redelegated Tyler, Albert, Prashant, and Cyrus to the A Team and formed a B Team rotation with senior Navonil Ghosh captaining Shen, Thomas, Daniel, and Aaron Pellowski. The reunited A Team proceeded to sweep all remaining Texas events, overcoming longtime rival St. John's A in every match they played en route to a two team appearance at HSNCT.
The LASA A Team placed well at the 2007-08 HSNCT, finishing 7th out of 176 teams with a notable playoff victory over Dorman A. The B Team placed 76th.
2008-09
LASA's TQBA kickoff ended in disappointment as the team was knocked out in the first round of playoffs, though the team would rebound to score a victory at the Central Texas Open with a three-handed team. The LASA-St. John's rivalry was renewed in the following two tournaments, as St. John's knocked LASA out of the playoffs in the Houston Holiday Hoedown as well as the Maverick Challenge.
2009-10
During the 2009-10 season, LASA hosted and won a mirror of the Fall Novice Tournament. Notable for also travelling to and winning many Texas college tournaments outright, they also placed 1st at Hunter's Prison Bowl III on February 27, 2010, going undefeated there and getting 28.06 points per bonus in the prelims.
Current Roster
LASA A
Thomas Littrell
Benji Nguyen
Daniel Chupin
Aaron Pellowski
LASA B
Rina Sadun (captain)
Ariel Godwin
Martin Hutchinson
Jay Morgan
Alumni
Tyler Smith
Albert Bayer
Cyrus Bordbar
Navonil Ghosh
Prashant Raghavendran
Shen Gong