Team 135 reaches Quarterfinals in World Competition

Penn Robotics closed out its 20th year of tournament competitions with a fourth-place finish in its division of 68 teams in the FIRST Robotics World Competition held last week (April 26-29) in St. Louis.

 

More than 700 teams from 33 countries competed in the FIRST Robotics World Competition.

 

Penn’s Team 135 had been as high as No. 2 in the qualification matches. The effort for Team 135 ended in the quarterfinal matches. More details on the overall team finishes can be found at https://www.thebluealliance.com/.

 

One of the highlights of the trip for the team was when three members –  Mia Heisler, Lizzie Heisler and Mackenzie Richards – kicked off the competition by singing the National Anthem before an audience of more than 20,000 at the Opening ceremonies held at the Edward Jones Dome.

 

The trip to World was a culmination of a great season for Team 135. The 36-student team won the coveted Chairman’s Award in previous back-to-back competitions: State Championship (Huntington, April 7-9) and Perry Meridian (Indianapolis, March 23-25).

Penn Robotics is led by Jim Langfeldt, Evan White, and Josiah Parker — the coordinators of this top-caliber FIRST Robotics team.

“Penn Robotics represented Indiana very well in St. Louis at the Championships last week,” Langfeldt said. “With a record of 9-1 and being seeded 4th in our division, the Penn Robotics team once again led their alliance into the finals before being eliminated in the quarter finals.” 

 

Team 135 is the only Indiana team to qualify for Championships every year in the district model. 

 

“This group of students worked tirelessly to iterate and improve on nearly every system on the robot!” Landfeldt said.  “I have never seen more dedication going into championships!

“Our State Champion Chairman's Award team made an overwhelming impact on the judges in the presentation room on Friday,” Langfeldt continued. “The work our entire team  puts into Chairman's (category) is the foundation of our experience!  This team continues to impress me with their willingness to spread FIRST and make a difference in our school and community!  It is more than robots!

 

Langfeldt said that having three of his students sing the national anthem at the Opening Ceremony was an added bonus.

 

“It was something I will never forget,” Langfeldt said of the Team 135 Trio singing the national anthem. “The diverse talents on our team this year has been an inspiration to everyone we have come in contact with.  I am very proud of the accomplishments Team 135 has made this season.”

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ALLISON ADAMS AND CHASE KIDDER.