Cornell team members, from left, Matt Bosch, Evelyn Browne, Prasun Ray and Anwar Kashem compete in the semifinals of the College Bowl regional tournament in Willard Straight Hall Feb. 21. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography
Have you ever wondered what's the heaviest isotope of hydrogen? How about the real names of the characters on Gilligan's Island? These questions, among others, were crucial in deciding who would triumph in this year's Association of College Unions International Region II College Bowl Tournament at Cornell Feb. 20-21.
And the hosts -- a five-student team from Cornell -- came out on top during the tournament in Willard Straight Hall, sponsored by the Cornell University Program Board.
The Cornell team competed against 15 teams from universities throughout upstate New York.
Participating schools included the University of Rochester, Syracuse University, Alfred University, Ithaca College, Niagara University, St. Bonaventure University, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), SUNY Binghamton, Buffalo State College, St. Lawrence University, Marist College, SUNY Albany, SUNY Buffalo, Queens University and SUNY Geneseo.
Billed as the "varsity sport of the mind," the tournament is reminiscent of "Jeopardy," although responses do not have to be phrased in the form of a question.
Cornell has dominated the regional tournament in the past, winning 10 of the 11 years it has participated. This year's winning team -- freshman Anwar Kashem, electrical engineering; senior Prasun Ray, mechanical engineering; graduate student Evelyn Browne, linguistics (the team's top scorer); junior Jarrett Taubman, industrial and labor relations; and freshman Matthew Bosch, linguistics -- will advance to the National Championship Tournament at the University of Florida, April 15-17.
"I'm really pleased about the way we played in the tournament," Bosch said. "I can't wait to get down to Florida to play in the nationals."
The regional tournament began last Saturday with 16 teams playing throughout the day in a modified round robin format with two divisions. In the first match of the day, Cornell was pitted against crosstown rival Ithaca College and won 300-25.
Matches for the team from RIT -- whose members are all hearing-impaired -- featured an overhead projector displaying each question and as an ASL interpreter. "While our team is at a disadvantage because they can't hear the questions being read, our opponents are also at a disadvantage because they aren't accustomed to reading the questions as they are being read," said RIT team alternate Ryan Sitko.
The top two teams from each division at the end of day -- Cornell, the University of Rochester, SUNY Albany and Queens University -- advanced to the Championship Round on Sunday. Cornell first beat Queens in the semifinals and then topped Rochester in the Championship Game, winning the best of two out of three matches, 220-115 and 230-130. Queens took third place and SUNY Albany finished fourth.
Cornell teammates Bosch and Ray both agreed that while the team's weekly training sessions have better acquainted them with the rules and strategies of College Bowl tournaments, the matches require more than mere preparation.
"It's difficult to really prepare for the questions that are going to be asked in a tournament," Bosch said. "We have to rely on our own knowledge and the knowledge of our teammates to win."
Bosch also noted that team members rely on each other's strengths to get them through a tough match. "We all specialize in different areas and have interests in different areas," he said.
And each said their main incentive for participating in the College Bowl was, simply, the joy of competition.
"It's fun to compete," Browne said. "Plus, it's a good way to use up all the random trivia in my head."
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