Case Western
| Case Western Reserve University | |
| |
|---|---|
| Location: Cleveland, OH | |
| Current President or Coach | Andrew Halza |
| National championships | 1999 TRASHionals |
| NAQT Page | link |
The Case Western Reserve University Trivia Team is a club at Case Western Reserve University. They host an annual high school trash quiz bowl tournament and compete in several collegiate tournaments each semester.
History/Tournaments
Case Western Reserve University's College Trivia Club has been in existence since at least 1991. The club began to grow in stature when Emil Thomas Chuck was accepted into CWRU's Biomedical Scientists Training Program in 1994 and became the Trivia Club's advisor. Under his tenure, the CWRU team increased its participation in college invitational, regional, and national competitions, for which Dr. Chuck also moderated. With the Club, he founded 3 high school tournaments which Case continued to host for many years: High School Celebrity Shootout starting in 1995, Buzzerpalooza in 1996, and the Great Lakes Regional Academic Championship, or GLRAC, in 1997. In 1998, CWRU hosted the inaugural PACE National Scholastics Championship, with Dr. Chuck serving as Tournament Organizer and Host. Dr. Chuck also helped host many collegiate competitions, including College Bowl Intramurals through 1998 and TRASH Regionals in 1998.
When Dr. Chuck received his Ph.D. in 1998, he continued to help organize and direct tournaments, both high school and collegiate, while other students on the CWRU Trivia Team took up more leadership roles. From 1999-2003, Allison Manzuk, Brandon Eilertson, and Josh Levit defined Case Quiz Bowl, bringing the team to new heights. Allison quickly became the Tournament Director after the departure of Dr. Chuck and gave the local high schools and colleges efficiently-run tournaments that have been universally praised by those attended. Brandon and Josh helped Case continue its tradition of competitive excellence in both academic and TRASH, as Case was represented respectably all four of their years at NAQT's ICT and TRASHionals (in 1999, Case's team became the TRASHionals National Champions). As Tournament Director, Allison Manzuk with the help of the rest of the Case Trivia Club hosted many collegiate tournaments, including the Buzz-à-Trois Singles Academic/Trash Tournaments 1999-2001, the 2000 TRASHionals, the Bachelors/Don King Undergraduate Tournaments in October of 2001, ACF Fall in 2001 and 2003, and the NAQT Great Lakes SCT in 2003. Allison was also the Tournament Director when CWRU hosted the PACE NSC again in 2003.
After the class of 2003 graduated, Case's team had lost some of its most valued players, but the remaining students kept the team alive, continuing to host the three annual high school tournaments as well as collegiate tournaments such as the 2005 NAQT SCT. By 2007, the team had begun to fall apart, and halfway through the season, the President Kristin Cameron mysteriously disappeared, leaving high school teams wondering if tournaments like Buzzerpalooza would still be happening. At this point, the entering first-year Steven Wellstead picked up the broken pieces and assumed the position of President for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. Though the Buzzerpalooza ended up being hosted by Solon High School at the last minute that year, Steven was able to successfully direct the 2008 Great Lakes Regional Academic Championship (GLRAC). In 2008, Case became the host of Bob Kilner's high school trash tournament, attracting a field of 32 teams. During the 2008-09 season, Case hosted Buzzerpalooza one final time as a part of a two-day tournament with the GLRAC. That same season, Case also hosted the High School Celebrity Shootout for the last time, though the tournament, which had been mirrored by Duke University, still lived on in North Carolina high schools (though with waning interest). The next year, Case only hosted the GLRAC, which continued on for yet another year until Steven Wellstead graduated in 2011.
After Steven Wellstead's departure, the third-year Drew Scheeler assumed the role as President, and the team remained in existence for the next couple years under his leadership. However, without a strong underclassmen base, the team dwindled in size. Changes to campus security protocols limited events to a maximum reservation count of ten rooms: the club lost the ability to book rooms after the administration discovered Drew had circumvented their policies using multiple names, leading Bob Kilner's Ohio TRASH tournament to move off-campus. In the 2013-14 season after the last of the strong seniors had graduated, the second-year Ethan Huang became President and tried to keep the club alive as best he could. In the fall of 2013, the trivia club hosted a disorganized trash tournament, and in the spring, with the help of Greg Bossick, Ethan Huang successfully hosted the 2014 NAQT Great Lakes SCT.
The next year, the entering first-year Tyler McMaken joined the team and, with the help of the remaining few CWRU College Trivia Team members, worked hard to bring back the annual high school trash tournament tradition in the 2015-16 season, under the new name "Rock and Roll Hall of Shame." That year, the team completely swept the Great Lakes NAQT Novice tournament at the University of Michigan, winning 1st place overall and boasting the top two individual scorers. The team continued to grow, and in the fall of 2017, the third iteration of Rock and Roll Hall of Shame was successfully run, with the house-written questions being mirrored in both central and southern Ohio locations.
Past Team Members
- Andrew Halza - President (2017-2021)
- Shawn Yoshida - Vice President (2017-2021)
- Hunter Stecko - Treasurer (2017-2021)
- Tim Jin - Secretary (2017-2021)
- Yash Kumar - Risk Manager (2017-2021)
- Aparna Paul - Risk Manager (2017-2021)
- Caleb Branton (2015-2019)
- Nicolas Leberer (2016-2020)
- Matt York (2016-2020)
- Todd Cheng (2017-2021)
- Andreas Kowald (2017-2021)
- Norman Luc (grad student)
- Sid Nanda (grad student)
- Tyler McMaken - President 2016-2018 (2014-2018)
- Sam Llaneta (2014-2018)
- Kelsey Bean (2014-2018)
- Tyler Powell (2015-2019)
- Esther Sun (2014-2018)
- Michael Oei (2014-2018)
- James Sullivan - President 2015-2016 (2013-2016)
- James Ullett (2013-2017)
- Nathaniel Sharer (2013-2017)
- Ethan Huang - President 2013-2015 (2012-2016)
- Campbell Fitzhugh (2013-2014)
- Caleb Welsh (2013-2014)
- Lucas Vroege (2013-2014)
- Drew Scheeler - President 2011-2013 (2009-2013)
- Matthew Hayes (Graduate Student) (2008-2013)
- Steven Oppenheim (2006-2013)
- Hex Reymann (2008-2010)
- Steven Wellstead - President 2008-2011 (2007-2011)
- Rob Fraser (2007-2011)
- Michael Steward (2007-2011)
- Ethan Yanyo (2007-2011)
- Tyler Babcock (2007-2011)
- Chris Hernandez (2006-2010)
- Kristin Cameron - President 2007 (2005-2009)
- Jon Geisinger (2005-2009)
- Siddharth Venkatachalam (2005-2009)
- David Johnson (2004-2008)
- Roger Cheng - President 2005-2007 (2003-2007)
- Shaan Gandhi (2003-2007)
- Erin Salter (2003-2007)
- Scott McMichael (2002-2007)
- Jeff Hanson - President 2004-2005
- Josh Levit (1999-2003)
- Brandon Eilertson (1999-2003)
- Allison Manzuk - President (1999-2003)
- Anthony de Jesus (1996-2000)
- Michael Hake (1994-1998)
- Bill Nottingham (1993-1997)
- Jessica McGeary (1992-1996)
Archived Team Pages and Other Links
- Notable Team Members pre-2000: [1]
- Pictures pre-2000: [2]
- Team Website 1996-2000: [3]
- Team Members 1999-2000: [4]
- Tournament Calendar 2001-02: [5]
- Class of 2003 History/Diary: [6]
- Team Website 2008: [7]
- Team Website 2013-14: [8]
- Team Website (within OrgSync - must log in to see events): [9]
- Team Stats at all NAQT Events (1996-Present): [10]
(Broken links):