Off the Field: Math Team Qualifies 5 for State

Five Republic High School students earned spots in the state math competition with strong performances at a recent Mathleague contest. Seniors Will Payne and Allie Day led the group with top-four individual finishes, helping the team secure third place overall.

Payne finished third overall among seniors, while Day took fourth. They will be joined at the state competition in Columbia this spring by Noah Haigler, Vanessa Nieto, and Abby Bremer. To advance, students must finish in the top tier of their respective events.

For students who typically perform well in standard coursework, the competition offers a different level of difficulty.

“Most of my math team kids really excel in their math classes, and so they often are not challenged by the standard curriculum,” said teacher and advisor Timothy Cobb. “It is a great opportunity for them to have to interact with new concepts or extensions of concepts they are familiar with.”

Day, who has participated in math competitions since elementary school, rejoined the team as a junior after schedule conflicts early in her high school career. She said the objective nature of the subject appeals to her.

“I’ve always loved the way math works. There’s an established way to solve problems, and the answers you get are either right or wrong. There’s no subjective answer,” Day said.

The recent meets included four distinct segments. Individual rounds included the “Sprint” test—30 multiple-choice questions in an hour without calculators—and the “Target” test, involving pairs of questions solved with calculators. Group events included a standard team test and a relay test where small groups race against the clock.

The problems often stray from standard classroom material, requiring students to adapt.

“A lot of the problems are not covered in regular math classes, and the ones that are apply content in new ways,” Day said. “It’s very rewarding to do a long, difficult problem and come out on the other side with the right answer.”

Cobb enjoys seeing the satisfaction the students get from that process.

“I love watching my students really sit down and think and persevere,” Cobb said. “They are so proud of themselves when they get something correct that they really had to think about, and I am as well.”

Despite the competitive format, Day emphasized the environment remains supportive.

“The main thing… is the sense of camaraderie that we have,” she said. “We’re all just there to have fun and do our best.”