The Geo-Bears are on top of the world.
In a manner of speaking, anyway. The university’s geography team scored a resounding victory in this year’s Geography Bowl, which was held at Clark University as part of the annual New England-St. Lawrence Valley Geography Society conference.
It was the Geo-Bears first win in the 20-plus year history of the event. Members of the winning team are Kevin Bean, Courtney Bigelow, Phillip Clougher, Tyler Saia and Warren Sutcliffe.
The squad bested the largest field ever gathered for the event. The other competitors included Salem State University, Clark University, University of New Hampshire, University of Maine, Keene State University and Framingham State University among others. The Bears swept every round of the competition, besting a tough Clark squad in the final round.
Clark fields a team composed of undergraduates and graduate students, and has “one of the foremost geography departments in the United States,” according to Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan, professor of geography.
“All of BSU and the geography department are proud of this achievement,” said his colleague Dr. Vernon Domingo.
A celebration was held for the team back on campus, and the Geo-Bears posed with the diminutive trophy. As Professor Hayes-Bohanan said, “We are to be proud of their achievement. The championship cup is small but meaningful.”
