Peru State hosts 31st Mathematics Challenge

Photos courtesy of Peru State College

PERU – Thirteen schools from three states competed in the 31^st annual Mathematics Challenge at Peru State College.

Competition in the areas of geometry, algebra, precalculus and calculus included 40-question exams for individuals and open-ended questions for teams.

First place winners were:

Carter Rumbaugh of Falls City in geometry

Evan Applegate of Council Bluffs in algebra

Austin Gonderinger of Conestoga in precalculus

 Team competition

Falls city High School was first in geometry with Jean Camden, Carter Rumbaugh and Deacon Jacobs.

Conestoga was second with Hadley Goecke, Chloe Bergmeyer and Layla Formanack.

Johnson County Central’s team of Jack Waring, Ashley Beethe and Wes Swanson was second in the pre-calculus team competition.

In division 2, HTRS’s geometry team of Zhu Boxuan, PJ Howe and Ty Dunekacke was first.

Here is the college's press release

Peru State College Hosts Annual Mathematics Challenge

(Peru, Neb.) – Peru State College and the Alpha Mu Omega (Math Club) recently hosted its 31^st annual Mathematics Challenge which attracted 13 schools from Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa.

 Competitions were held in the subject areas of Geometry, Algebra, Precalculus, and Calculus. Schools competed in two divisions based on their respective sizes. Each school was allowed to enter a team of three students in each of the subject areas.

The individual competition consisted of a forty-question multiple choice exam in each subject area while the team exam consisted of open-ended questions. Calculators were not allowed for the individual tests but an ACT-approved calculator was allowed for the group exam.

Dr. Laura McCauley, Associate Professor of Mathematics, was the Challenge’s co-director. McCauley stated, “Alpha Mu Omega and its advisors want to thank everyone who volunteered and all of the schools that participated in the 31^st annual Mathematics Challenge. We had more schools and teams participating than we have seen in a decade, which is a great problem to have.”

Assisting Dr. McCauley was Cassandra Tangen, Instructor of Math and Director of the Honors Program.

Individual and team results for Division 1 are as follows:

Geometry

1^st – Carter Rumbaugh – Falls City High School

2^nd – Jean Camden - Falls City High School

3^rd – Jesus Hurtado – Johnson County Central High School

Algebra

1^st – Evan Applegate – Lewis Central (Council Bluffs, Iowa) High School

2^nd – Isaiah Burget – Lewis Central High School

3^rd – Dylan Kayhanfar – Conestoga High School

Precalculus

1^st – Austin Gonderinger – Conestoga High School

2^nd – Brett Maher – Lincoln Christian High School

3^rd – Asher Rodenburg – Lewis Central High School

Calculus

1^st – Micaiah Niemoth – Harlan (Iowa) High School

2^nd – Ruby Nguyen – Falls City High School

3^rd – Abbie Frost – Lincoln Christian High School

Geometry Team

1^st – Jean Camden, Carter Rumbaugh, and Deacon Jacobs – Falls City High School

2^nd – Hadley Goecke, Chloe Bergmeyer, and Layla Formanack – Conestoga High School

Algebra Team

1^st – Evan Applegate, Isaiah Burget, and Cole Campbell – Lewis Central High School

2^nd – Millie Gentert, Molly Weber, and Amelia Britt – Johnson County Central High School

Precalculus Team

1^st – Brett Maher, Phuong Le, and Hanna Colbert – Lincoln Christian High School

2^nd – Jack Waring, Ashley Beethe, and Wes Swanson – Johnson County Central High School

Calculus Team

1^st – Tristan Freestrom, Ethan Arul, and Abigail Schmidt – Bellevue West High School

2^nd – Robert Parks, Benjamin Heckens, and Lina Foss – Bellevue West High School

Division 2 individual and team results were as follows:

Geometry

1^st – Peyton Hubl – Thayer Central High School

2^nd – Jaxson Bowers – Thayer Central High School

3^rd – Nichole Brammann – Mound City (Mo.) High School

Algebra

1^st – Piper Kinney – Sterling High School

2^nd – Deklann Daharsh – Thayer Central High School

3^rd – Jocelynn Mumm – Thayer Central High School

Precalculus

1^st – Jaysen Fuehrer – McCool Junction High School

2^nd – Carson McLaughlin – Thayer Central High School

3^rd – Jakob Kessler – Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer High School

Geometry Team

1^st – Zhu Boxuan, PJ Howe, and Ty Dunekacke – Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer High School

2^nd – Peyton Hubl, Jaxson Bowers, and Leah Havel – Thayer Central High School

Algebra Team

1^st– Deklann Daharsh, Jocelynn Mumm, and Olivia Wiedel – Thayer Central High School

2^nd – Haley Gimpel, Isaac Bergen, and Guadalup Gabriel-Gomez – Harlan High School

Precalculus Team –

1^st – Carson McLaughlin, Brady Degenhardt, and Murphy Sudbeck – Thayer Central High School

2^nd – Jaysen Fuehrer, Ian Tarr, and Carson McDonald – McCool Junction High School

In reviewing the entire competition, McCauley added, “Because of the guidance of the teachers, the contributions of volunteers at PSC, and the enthusiasm of the students, the Math Challenge was a great success.”