2013 World Geography Bowl | AAG Annual Meeting

Middle States Division Team Takes 2013 World Geography Bowl Title

Eric Sheppard introduces 2013 Geography Bowl

Eric Sheppard addresses the excited crowd at the 2013 World Geography Bowl. (Photographs by Becky Pendergast)

The Middle States Team won first place in the 2013 World Geography Bowl, an annual quiz competition for teams of college-level geography students representing the AAG’s regional divisions. On April 12, nine teams, each representing an AAG regional division, competed at the conference hotel in Los Angeles. AAG President Eric Sheppard kicked off the event with an encouraging introduction before the start of the competition.

In the end, the Middle States Division (MSD) defeated the Middle Atlantic Division (MAD) by a score of 120-90 in a hard-fought final round.

The championship round pitted the top two teams in a match-up from a round-robin tournament. The MAD team, ultimately the runner-up in the competition, had been undefeated during round-robin play, while the MSD team had just one loss in eight matches. The winning Middle States Division team’s roster was:

James Baker, undergraduate student, William Paterson University (also received MVP title)
Jase Bernhardt, graduate student, Penn State University
Ekaterina Bezborodico, graduate student, Rutgers University
Raechel Blanchetti, graduate student, Penn State University
Shawn Dacey, undergraduate student, SUNY Oneonta
Samuel Finn, graduate student, Shippensburg University

The MSD team consisted of the top six scoring individuals from the Middle States Division’s Regional Bowl competition held at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania in November, 2012. The team was coordinated by Dr. Grant Saff from Hofstra University and Dr. Kelly Frothingham from Buffalo State University.

2014 World Geography Bowl – Tampa

The 2014 World Geography Bowl competition will be held in Tampa in April, 2014. This event will be a milestone for AAG as its 25th year for hosting during its Annual Meeting. Regional competitions typically occur during the fall at respective AAG regional meetings, where regional teams for the national competition are usually formed. For more information on organizing a team, contact the World Geography Bowl executive director, Andrew Shears, assistant professor of geography at Mansfield University.

Thanks to prize donors and volunteers

Organizers of the World Geography Bowl would like to express thanks to the countless volunteer question writers, coaches, moderators, judges, and scorekeepers who make the competition possible, and to the many students who competed throughout the country. World Geography Bowl organizers thank its donors who generously donated gift certificates, books and MVP plaque – National Geographic Society, Cambridge University Press, DK Publishing, Esri, Guilford Publications, Lonely Planet, Rand McNally, and Sage – who recognize the important role the competition plays in building a sense of community and generating excitement around geographic learning. Your continued support is truly appreciated.