Knowledge is Power: SU’s Quiz Bowl team places 2nd at National Qualifying Tournament; secures spot in National Competition

Southern University’s Quiz Bowl team attended the National Qualifying Tournament in Texas and brought back a sizable trophy this year.
Competing against schools like Texas College, Xavier University, Prairie View A&M College, etc., Southern’s quiz bowl team fought their way to a respectable second place win. This win guarantees their spot at the National Championship Tournament in California which will take place April 13-17.
At the National Championship Tournament, teams all across the country will have the opportunity to compete for the chance to win a seventy-five thousand dollar scholarship for their school.
Southern’s Quiz Bowl team expresses their excitement about competing for such a large prize to the Southern Digest. Joyner Deamer, a senior civil engineering major, reveals to the Digest, “I was excited for the opportunity to be able to go to California and now that we’ve made that a reality, I’m looking forward to that in the future.” Considering this is Joyner’s last year competing, it’s no wonder he’s so excited to finish his final semester off strong by competing in the big leagues.
Since a team is only as proficient as its coach, it’s a good thing Southern’s Quiz Bowl team has such an experienced one. Deadra James Mackie, the campus coach for the Honda Campus All Star Challenge Quiz Bowl team, has been coaching for ten years and counting. She intends for this year’s team to go all the way. Mrs. Mackie boasts to the Digest, “…I’d like to make sure that we bring the seventy-five thousand dollars back home…The team members do have a deep commitment to the game and that’s what I appreciate because they place this competition as a priority…just like some of the other sports are priorities to other students, this is a priority to…the students that are apart of the HCASC club.”
With hopes and morales high for the more experienced members of the team, it’s important to shed some light on those members who are prospective players for the upcoming semesters. They’ve got big shoes to fill and high expectations to meet once the senior players graduate.
Jordan Wilson-Smith, a sophomore animal science major, who joined Southern’s quiz bowl team earlier this semester, informed the Digest, “I’m excited to see what happens and how we progress as a team after [the seniors] leave and see the growth in all [of] the other members of the team.”
From the veterans to the newcomers, everyone’s excited to see what Southern University’s Quiz Bowl team is capable of in the near future. There’s no shortage of talent on this team so a first place win at the National Championship Tournament is well within reach.
For those students who would like to see the quiz bowl team in action, they will be competing in the 25th annual Land Grant Campus Black History Quiz Bowl competition in T.T. Allain on February 28 at 3 pm. Come get a glimpse at what some of Southern’s greatest minds have to offer and don’t forget to congratulate them on their recent win.