Academic knowledge, quick thinking, and teamwork are all part of the annual Indian River State College Brain Bowl competition. Students earn scores as individuals and on four-member teams.

At the recent IRSC Brain Bowl competition held on October 21, the top individual scorer was Robert Bantz of Fort Pierce, an Engineering major and a member of The River Team with an outstanding score of 190 points.

The second highest individual scorer was Jonathan Errico of Fort Pierce, a History major and also a member of The River Team with a total score of 120 points.

The winning team, The River Team, (composed of members of the Brain Bowl Club), topped all the competition with a total of 290 points in the final playoff round, beating out the Oxidizing Agents team by 35 points and the Wiz Kids team by 150 points. The winning team members from The River Team are: Robert Bantz; Jonathan Errico, Matthew Foley, and Grant Robinson. Matthew Foley is a Business Management major from Port St. Lucie; and Grant Robinson is an Organizational Management major from Port St. Lucie.

Each member of the winning team was awarded a $100 in books scholarship by the Indian River State College Foundation, a College certificate, a plaque with the inscription "Champion Team Member," and the top scorer received the Trophy of Knowledge.

According to Dr. Samuel Mikhail, IRSC Professor of Social Sciences/Economics, and Brain Bowl Committee Chairman, students who excel in Brain Bowl gain statewide visibility, providing a competitive advantage for the Florida Academic All-Star team and scholarship programs.

The top five team rankings were: The River Team, Metric Units, Atom Smashers, Oxidizing Agents, and Wiz Kids. A total of 117 students participated in the event. For more information, contact the IRSC Call Center at 1-866-792-4772.