CLEAR LAKE CITY, TX (Covering Katy News) - Tompkins and Cinco Ranch high school students teamed up to take the top spot at the State VEX Robotics Competition hosted by Clear Creek Independent School District in Clear Lake City.
Students from Tompkins High School comprise the award-winning VEX Robotics Team 4583X Sushi Warriors of Samurai Robotics. They teamed up with Cinco Ranch High School’s Polaris Robotics Team 24626Z of Polaris Robotics to form a formidable club.
The Texas VRC High School Region 3 Championship was held on March 3 and 4, 2023.
Sushi Warriors 4583X won the Texas 2023 State Championship at the regional competition.
Members of the Sushi Warriors 4583X:
- Bilal Mirza (Junior): Main builder and driver
- Aadit Sahgal (Junior): Programmer, oversees autonomous during matches
- Daniel Niechwiadowicz (Junior): Builder, co-driver/driving coach, primary scouter
- Omar Jilani(Junior): Builder, secondary scouter
- William Ferrer (Junior): Builder, secondary scouter
- Sanjeev Baskaran (Sophomore): Builder, secondary scouter
In addition to winning the State Championship, Team 4583X had a phenomenal season, winning Skills Championships, Tournament Championships, and Judges Awards.
Polaris 24626Z won 5th place in Skills and also qualified to compete in the Vex Worlds.
Members of Polaris 24626Z
- Dimitris Kalafatis (Senior): Programmer
- Puneesh Kapoor (Senior): Driver
- Delaney Tao (Senior): Builder and Notebook worker
- Angelo Reyes (Sophomore): Builder
- Stevie Oberhofer (Freshman): Builder and Notebook worker
- Arjun Somavarpu (Freshman): Builder
During the season, Polaris 24626Z also won the Excellence Award, Skills Champions, and Tournament Championships.
Both teams will compete against 800 high schools from 40 countries in the upcoming VEX Robotics World Competition April 25 to 27 in Dallas.
VEX Robotics is a global program with more than 20,000 teams from 50 countries playing in 1,700 plus competitions worldwide.
Year-round competitions are organized at the local, state, and national levels, and winners compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship, sponsored by Northrop Grumman Foundation and technology giants like Google, NASA, and Tesla.
“Both teams are the definition of perseverance,” said team advisor Humzah Mirza of the Texas A&M WHOOP Robotics Team. “They are the brightest and most talented group of students,” he said.” “Both teams were able to fight for their spots at the VEX Robotics World Championships during one of the most challenging and competitive seasons I’ve witnessed, and these guys pushed through and fought till the end. Mentoring these students has been fun, to say the least!”
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Photo provided
Vex Robotics Competition
The Cinco Ranch High School’s Polaris Robotics Team 24626Z.
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Polaris Robotics
Polaris Robotics Team 24626Z
Cinco Ranch High School’s Polaris Robotics Team 24626Z of Polaris Robotics
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VEX Robotics Competition
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Sushi Warriors 4583X
Sushi Warriors 4583X
Sushi Warriors 4583X