Brendan Byrne
| Brendan Byrne | |
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| Current college | Minnesota (2008-2010) |
| Past colleges | Drake (2006-2008) |
| High school | Mounds Park (2002-2006) |
| Stats | HDWhite • NAQT |
Brendan Byrne played for Drake University for two years, transferring to the University of Minnesota in 2008. Brendan was the top scorer at the 2008 Chicago Open, causing many people to predict great success for Minnesota in the 2008-2009 season.
Brendan proved to be an elite player at Minnesota, generally serving as the lead scorer on an already outstanding team. He was the team's leading scorer during high ICT and ACF Nationals finishes throughout the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons. The team's strongest feat was winning the NAQT ICT UG title in 2010 and taking second at the 2010 ACF Nationals (while winning the UG title at both the 2009 and 2010 Nationals). After that season, Brendan graduated and did not play regularly in the 2010-2011 season, though he has continued to play opens post-graduation.
Brendan's writing and playing style have occasionally been described as "robotic," as he unabashedly studies lists and flashcards, and is one of the few elite players who doesn't write prolifically or produce quality questions by his own admission.
Byrne wrote an essay on his time in quizbowl and his study methods, entitled "Quiz Bowl Memoirs of a Robot," which can be found here.
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