Quiz Bowl team -- back row, left to right: Dr. Katie Peters, Ben Walsh Michael Erb and Joanna Boone Front row: Will Farley, Jessica Wallace and Robert Meehan

Five UNC Asheville students put their thinking caps on and walked away with the second place title at the second-annual Big South Conference Quiz Bowl February 3. Seniors Michael Erb, Will Farley, Jessica Wallace and Ben Walsh and sophomore Robert Meehan competed against six teams at Radford University, coming in second to reigning tournament champions Liberty University.

“I’m really excited and pleased we did so well,” said Wallace, UNC Asheville history student and Quiz Bowl participant. “This was the first time that some of us had competed in such a tournament. I think we did our best and made a good showing for ourselves.”

Described as “the varsity sport of the mind,” quiz bowl teams play fast-paced rounds with a variety of questions on history, literature, science, math, current events and sports. Each team is composed of five students and the team with the most points at the end of each match is declared the winner. The team with the best record at the conclusion of the tournament is declared champions.

Walsh, UNC Asheville’s Quiz Bowl president, had played in tournaments throughout high school and knew a team at UNC Asheville would go far. He attributes this in part to the University’s liberal arts curriculum.

“I think the humanities program certainly helps us with a lot of questions,” said Walsh. “Multiple times I just looked at my teammates and we answered in unison because we had all the same humanities classes.”

Wallace agrees. “We had a broader base of knowledge to draw from. Each of us had different majors, but we also knew about areas outside of our majors.”

For now, the team is preparing for a regional competition at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville on February 23, where they will compete against teams from across the southeast. Walsh feels that as the team continues to grow, they will see bigger and better things.

“I hope that quiz bowl continues to grow on campus and more students will become involved,” he said. “I have confidence in the returning team members for next year and hope it will stay a strong and competitive program after I graduate.”