BOLIVAR, MO – Southwest Baptist University’s top competitive programming team grabbed a spot among the top 15 teams in the U.S Mid-Central Region (Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee) on Saturday, Oct. 24 as a part of the IBM-Sponsored International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). The team, composed of Jacob Williams (Senior, Hume, Mo.), Andrew Cook (Senior, Kansas City, Mo.), and Aaron Meyer (Senior, Springfield, Mo.) completed five of nine problems in 290 minutes to claim the second highest finish in school history. SBU’s second and third teams finished in 30th and 37th place, respectively, in the field of 140 teams.
“SBU was the top-finishing Christian school in Missouri, and we had the top finish in Missouri for teams from purely undergraduate computer science programs—a significant achievement because the rules allow graduate students in computer science to compete for their schools,” said Dr. Tim DeClue, Chair of the SBU Computer and Information Sciences Department.
“This competition continues to show the strength and quality of our program and our kids. We are truly blessed.
“Our students feel a sense of community and togetherness that is simply missing at a lot of larger schools. All three of our teams did well. Our students’ dedication to excellence is clear and I am very proud of what they have accomplished today. A lot of credit goes to Mr. Cain and Dr. Lu who helped coach these kids, and to Michael Van DeVender and Sarah Skinner who have served as assistants in practices.”
SBU’s B team was composed of Blayne Riffle (Junior, Bolivar, Mo.), Aaron Davis (Junior, Springfield, Mo.), and Christopher Stucky (Senior, Kansas City, Mo.). SBU’s C team consisted of Ashley Jones (Sophomore, Shawnee Mission, Kan.), and Rebecca LaChance (Sophomore, Park Hills, Mo.), and Matthew Peterein (Sophomore, St. Louis, Mo.). A team composed of SBU freshmen Weston Herrington (Carthage, Mo.), Jordan Hull (Lamar, Mo.), and Lucas McGlaughlin (St. Joseph, Mo.) also competed unofficially, finishing in the top half of the field.
The Mid-Central Region Programming Contest is part of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), a global competition sponsored annually by IBM and open to all colleges around the world. The ICPC is considered to be the largest, oldest, and most respected computer science competition in the world. Two teams will advance from the Mid-Central region to the world finals which take place this spring in China.
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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. Since 1878, the faculty and staff have created a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. The University has been named one of America’s Best Christian Colleges® for 13 consecutive years, one of America’s 100 Best College Buys® for 14 consecutive years, and it has been named among institutions with America’s Best College Scholarships ® for the past three years by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.
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