Beachwood Science Olympiad won first place at Regionals on March 7 at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School.

The Bison have placed second at Regionals behind Solon for at least the last three years and finished fourth at states last year. 

The win against the bigger, long-time Science Olympiad powerhouse is particularly satisfying for Beachwood Science Olympians. 

“It feels good,” senior Captain Tony Zheng said. “It’s been a long time coming, especially in my senior year and having competed against Solon so many times over the course of my time in Science Olympiad it gives almost a sense of closure to come out with a victory over them in my final year.”

Zheng has advice for teams that hope to see the kind of success that Beachwood has seen this year.

“When the time comes and the stars align and you get a great group of people, know what you have and capitalize on that,” Zheng said. “But that’s not to say before that time it’s hopeless, no. Luck is a completely manufacturable asset, if you want to improve it’s an asset that should be used.”

For Zheng, the Regional performance has provided inspiration to work even harder.

“I am feeling really motivated to work hard,” he wrote in an email. “This win has given us the motivation to work hard to qualify for nationals.” 

The team competes at the state tournament April 18 at The Ohio State University.