Grapevine High School’s robotics team capped off an extraordinary year at the UIL 5A FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship held Saturday, May 10, in Corpus Christi, returning with a bronze medal and the prestigious Design Award, which is presented to the team that demonstrates outstanding industrial design by creating a robot that is both functional and aesthetically appealing.
Competing against the top 25 public school robotics teams in Texas, the Mustangs battled their way through the double-elimination playoff bracket upsetting the third- and fourth-seeded teams. Although they lost the last match to the number two seeded team, the finish came down to the final seconds.
The state appearance was the culmination of a season that began in September, with design, building, programming, and competition. Mustang Robotics earned its place at state by finishing second among public schools at the regional championship held in February.
Along the way, the team collected multiple honors, including the Connect Award, which recognizes the team that most connects with their local science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) community; the Finalist Alliance award, presented to a team whose unique efforts, performance or dynamics merit recognition; and the Motivate Award winner, presented to the team that clearly demonstrates what it means to be a team.
This year marks the third consecutive trip to the state championship for Grapevine High School’s robotics team.