By: Cate Eberly

Academic Team bested multiple rounds of competition to claim the 2026 SWBL title on Saturday, February 29.

For most, trivia is reserved for game nights or phone apps. For the Academic Team, it’s a timed and intense team effort. Each match is divided into five rounds covering 10 academic categories including topics such as literature, science, current events, and geography.

Most questions allow just 10 seconds to respond and in the lightning rounds, that time decreases to five. “Everything has a time limit in academic team,” junior Max Bruggeman said.

Substitutions are only allowed between rounds, so strategy plays a major role. Players rotate in and out depending on their academic strengths. “Everyone has their specialties,” Bruggeman said. “If you’re really good at round one but not too good at round two, you could only be in for round one.”

Although the competitive season began in January, preparation started months earlier. Since October, the team has met Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. “We use old questions from two or three years ago,” senior Erin Secody said. “We don’t really do much studying outside. It’s mostly just those practices that help us prepare.”

This year’s roster also looked different from seasons past. With significant senior turnover, the team overall was younger.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve approached this season any differently,” Secody said. “I think it’s just been me continually improving and learning more.”