EAST LANSING — Detroit Catholic Central High School’s VEX Shambots B team won the coveted VEX Robotics Excellence Award and a three-team alliance from Bloomfield Hills, Grandville, and Rochester were high school tournament champions at the 2017 Michigan VEX Robotics State Championship on Sunday, Feb. 19, at Michigan State University.
At the middle school level, Hudsonville Robotics took home the VEX Excellence Award and a three-team alliance that included two teams from Flint’s Carman Ainsworth Middle School Robotics and the Technology First team from Lambertville were tournament champions.
There were 76 teams, including 48 high school and 28 middle school teams, competing at the 2017 state games, all working for the right to represent Michigan in the 2017 VEX Robotics World Games in Louisville, Ky., April 19-25.
The 2017 MSU VEX High School State Championship results are:
Excellence Award, 2030B, Detroit Catholic Central High School (world championship qualifier)
Tournament Champions: 98725B, Rochester Hills Christian School, 244A, Grandville Community Education, 69, Bloomfield Hills (world championship qualifiers)
CREATE U.S. Open: Create Award, 88729B, Caseville High School
Build Award: 35, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills
Design Award: 98725B, Rochester Hills Christian School (world championship qualifier)
Judges Award: 35A, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills
Tournament Finalists: 8031D, Hudsonville Robotics, 6715B, Hudsonville Robotics, 288E, Grandville High School (world championship qualifiers)
Robot Skills Winner: 244A, Grandville Community Education (qualifies for CREATE U.S. Open)
Tournament Semifinalists: 3767X, West Senior High School, Traverse City, 288A, Grandville High School, 288G, Grandville High School, 39A, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills, 39Z, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills, 35, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills (world championship qualifiers)
The 2017 MSU VEX Middle School State Championship results are:
Excellence Award: 8860D, Hudsonville Robotics (world championship qualifier)
Tournament Champions: 1375A, Carman Ainsworth Middle School Robotics, Flint, 1375B, Carman Ainsworth Middle School Robotics, Flint, 3547C Technology First, Lambertville (world championship qualifiers)
CREATE U.S. Open: 3547A, Technology First, Lambertville
Build Award: 3547C, Technology First, Lambertville
Design Award: 457B, Jenison Robotics (world championship qualifier)
Judges Award: 636B, Grand Rapids Junior Robotics
Tournament Finalists: 38B, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills, 38A, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills, 636B, Grand Rapids Junior Robotics
Robot Skills Award: 1375B, Carman Ainsworth Middle School Robotics, Flint (qualifies for Create U.S. Open)
The Michigan VEX Robotics program is supported by MSU student volunteers, who help VEX participants learn the principles of engineering as they design and build their robots for competition throughout the year. More than 100 volunteers, including MSU faculty, staff and students, help make the state championship possible.
There are 369 VEX teams in Michigan, 242 in high schools and 127 in middle schools. MSU is the largest university sponsor of VEX Robotics in Michigan, supporting 24 teams around the state. Many of the teams are from schools with underrepresented student populations.
Read more on this year’s Michigan VEX Robotics State Championships: http://www.egr.msu.edu/news/2017/02/08/vex-starstruck-coming