| Michael Sorice
|
|
| Noted subjects |
Physics, generalist, Fraudulent Studies, Laelaps, Johann Gottlieb Fichte
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| Current college |
N/A
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| Past colleges |
Illinois (2000-2002; 2004-2011)
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| High school |
Fenwick (1999-2000)
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| Stats |
HDWhite • NAQT
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Michael Angelo Sorice is the former head coach of Centennial in Illinois from 2014 to 2020 and teacher at Rantoul. He was a Ph.D. candidate in Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois. During his extremely long college quizbowl career for Illinois, which began in 2000 and lasted into the early 2010s (excepting the 2002-2003 season, when he was not in school), Sorice was consistently one of the best active players in the college game, winning several regional tournaments and top scoring awards. His editorial accomplishments include Illinois Open from 2003-2007, the 2007 Illinois Novice tournament, ACF Fall 2007, and the physics/other science for 2013 ACF Nationals. Sorice was known for a long time as "Hair Boy" due to his long gold locks (pictured), which have since been sheared.
Sorice's career accomplishments include 2nd-place finishes at ICT in 2006, 2007, and 2009. At one point, he also held the NAQT all-time collegiate record for highest PPG/PP20TUH achieved at a single college tournament, with a ridiculous 153.89 PPG at 2008's GIT XIII, a tournament notorious for using high school questions that year, in St. Louis. (This mark has since been eclipsed by Henry Gorman from Rice.) From 2009 to 2011, Sorice played with Ike Jose, who took over as team captain upon Sorice's effectual retirement from quizbowl after a 3rd place finish at 2011 ACF Nationals.
Sorice is a member of PACE and served as the tournament director for the 2010 NSC. He formerly served as the head coach for Centennial in Illinois and is greatly appreciated by players. In 2015-16, he also advised the scholastic bowl team at Champaign Franklin Middle School. He is now an unofficial advisor for Rantoul High School, located near Champaign. Additionally, he is a member of the NHBB staff, and he occasionally moderates rounds at nationals in Washington, D.C.
He moderates for many games in Central Illinois and has increased awareness of good quizbowl in the region, including to many students who would go on to become strong high school quizbowl players. He is considered an excellent quizbowl moderator because of his great enunciation of words and careful speeding. Sorice was awarded the IHSSBCA Tom Durbin Class AA Award in 2019 for his success as a coach. Alongside Alex Damisch, Sorice was awarded the Carper Award in 2020.
