Student teams from Hope College earned a rare — if not one-of-a-kind — distinction by placing second, third, fifth and sixth in this year’s Lower Michigan Mathematics Competition, held on Saturday, April 15, at the University of Michigan-Flint.
“Putting four teams in the top six isn’t something that any college has done for several years, if ever,” said Dr. Aaron Cinzori, associate professor of mathematics, who served as the Hope teams’ faculty advisor. “It was a great day, and the students are looking forward to more success in competitions this fall.”
The event featured 16 teams, with two or three members each, from eight colleges and universities across lower Michigan. A total of 11 students from Hope participated in the college’s four teams.
The members of the college’s second-place team were Teddy Addison, Bryn Couturier and Stephen Price. The third-place team consisted of Miguel Castelan Hernandez, Eli Edwards-Parker and Matthew LaPorte. The fifth-place team consisted of Lina Mo, Yihao Ni and Yiting Shen. The sixth-place team consisted of Austin Becksvoort and Zachary Doctor.
In addition to Hope, the colleges and universities that fielded teams were: Albion College, Grand Valley State University, Kalamazoo College, Macomb Community College, Saginaw Valley State University, the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the University of Michigan-Flint. Hope will be hosting the competition in 2024.