Schools

Seton’s Blue Crab Bowl teams triumph

Special To The Herald

Seton School’s winning A Team includes: (from left): Benjamin Dealey, Joseph LaVigne, Regina Terreri, Martin Quinan and Sean Kellogg. Phillip Kellogg | Courtesy

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Seton School’s A and B Blue Crab Bowl marine science teams won first and second place, respectively, at the 21st Annual Virginia Regional Competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, held in early February at Old Dominion University in Virginia Beach.

 

Popularly known as the Blue Crab Bowl, this competition tests competitors’ knowledge of the marine sciences in an academic quiz-bowl format.

Entering the competition, Bishop Sullivan High School of Virginia Beach was the favorite, having won first place in each of the past 10 years. Bishop Sullivan faced both Seton’s A and B teams in the double elimination competition, losing to both. That left the two Seton teams facing each other in the championship round.

Seton A had remained undefeated through the entire competition, and a win against their classmates in round 10 would have secured them the final victory. Seton B wasn’t about to give anyone a break, however, and handed their A team friends a decisive round 10 loss, forcing them into round 11.

The winner ultimately was decided in the last three to four minutes of the final match, when Seton A rallied to build on the lead it had established early in the round. Never before had two teams from the same school finished one-two in the competition.

Seton began competing in the Blue Crab Bowl in 2008, coached by math and science teacher Patty von Reyn. In 2016, Seton parents Tricia Kellogg and Hank Konstanty took over as coaches. Seton’s 2018 A team members included Ben Dealey, Sean Kellogg, Joseph LaVigne (co-captain), Martin Quinan and Regina Terreri (co-captain). They began competing together as freshmen in 2015 and finished second that year and again in 2017. They were determined to end their high school career with a championship, which they did.

Most other schools in the competition have oceanography courses and four of the 12 teams were from the Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School for Marine and Environmental Science. The Seton students had to learn marine science on their own in after-school sessions and study at home.

The second place B team, also all seniors, included Hannah Frievald (co-captain), Katya Konstanty, Patrick Murray, Brendan Santschi and Monica Wood (co-captain).

The first place team will compete at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl in Boulder, Col., April 19- 22.        

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