How high will they climb? Ranked 4th in the nation, and now 3A State Champions, Western Albemarle ACE team is proving they’re ready to play with the top. Led by seniors Angela Li,  Zachary Mandell, and junior Eric Xu, the Western Ace team is storming the Scholastic Bowl stage, setting a whole new standard for competitors in Virginia.

  Competing at such a high level requires considerable practice. “Ace team questions can range from Lady Gaga’s last outfit to different Russian Czars”, says freshman Matt Mandell. “You have to be pretty well rounded”. The team practices every monday after school with seventh grade history teacher Mr. Strzepeck, where he asks all the questions you could imagine to encounter in an average contest. It shows, winning Regional, Conference 29, and now, holding the title of 3A State Champions. The next event on the map will be this May in Chicago and northern Virginia, where they will quiz against some of the other top teams in the country for the title of National Champions.