Benbrook UIL Academics Makes School History with First State Qualifiers.

Benbrook Middle-High School’s Academic UIL team just turned a big page in school history.

At the Region 4A Academic UIL competition held April 22–23 at Texas Tech University on the campus of Frenship Memorial High School in Lubbock, the Bobcats earned third place overall, putting them among the top 12 schools in Texas.

It is the first time BMHS has ever placed at the regional level, and even more notably, the first time an academic team from the school has advanced to state competition.

The spelling and literary criticism teams both claimed first place in the region, while the journalism team finished second, helping power the Bobcats to a historic finish.

Several students also earned individual honors and state-qualifying finishes, with first-, second-, and third-place finishers advancing to Austin.

In Spelling, Colin Jarchow placed second, Ashley Gevedon placed third, and Jaxon Anderson finished sixth, with Jack Gentry contributing to the team title.

In Literary Criticism, Amy Gonzalez took first place, Ashley Gevedon finished second, and Ella Freeman and Jack Gentry helped secure the team championship.

In Copy Editing, Colin Jarchow placed third, and Ashley Gevedon placed sixth.

In Editorial Writing, Anabelle Russell earned third place, while in News Writing, she finished second.

Other students who advanced to regional competition included Brady Ball, McKinzie Brookshier, Hannah Colvin, Parker Dorff, Abby Estes, Rylie Fallon, Lori-Ann Goodson, Kyle Lewis, Bailey Lott, Evangelina Martinez, Kyler Parsons, Magnolia Peterson, Sovina Tran, and Daniel Washington.

Behind the scenes, the success was supported by a strong group of coaches and coordinators. David Koenig serves as UIL coordinator, with Tiffany Giddens coaching social studies, Jamie Krempa leading speech and debate, Yenifer Morales coaching prose and poetry, Ryan Peterson handling number sense, calculator applications, and journalism, Jared Spoon coaching spelling, and Wade Veillon leading literary criticism and ready writing.

And one more name deserved a special mention: Coach Cribbs, whose steady driving and support helped keep students moving across Lubbock throughout the competition.

State competition is set for May 18–19 at the University of Texas at Austin.

More than a trophy moment, this is proof that excellence shows up in classrooms just as much as on courts and fields. This group didn’t just compete well, they’re changing what students at Benbrook Middle-High School believe is possible from here forward.