By Juliana Pearson (April 4, 2002)

George Mason’s It’s Academic Team finished a strong season Saturday March, 23 at NBC 4 studios in Washington DC, placing second behind Richard Montgomery High School in a game against the Montgomery County IB magnet and Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School. 

Team members senior Evan McCulla, junior Dan Bray and sophomore Evan Cunningham emerged with 420 points while Richard Montgomery scored 650 points and Bethesda-Chevy Chase 220 points. 

The GM quizmasters performed solidly, answering nearly all questions correctly. In the grab bag round, where each team has the opportunity to answer a set of eight questions, GM captured all but the final question, narrowly missing bonus points

Despite the team’s successes, in the two rounds in which all three sets of competitors are given the opportunity to buzz in the Richard Montgomery team was generally slightly faster on the buzzer, and usually offered confident responses.

"Each team probably knows the answers to most of the questions. The key is the timing of the buzzer. That isn’t our team’s strength," said senior Evan McCulla. 

Although the team did not advance to the semi-final round of It’s Academic, the loss was only a mild disappointment when placed in the context of a successful season. On February 23^rd, the Scholastic Bowl team, on which McCulla, Bray and Cunningham are members, captured the state title. In December, the It’s Academic team upset DC private school Sidwell Friends, allowing them to advance to the March 23^rd match. 

"Richard Montgomery is a very tough team to play. I wouldn’t be surprised if they won the championship. I’m just so proud of what a successful season the team had," said Scholastic Bowl and It’s Academic coach Jamie Scharff.

The It’s Academic match will air May 11 on NBC 4 at 10:00 AM.