Forty schools participate in College Bowl at U.

The competition was fierce at the University's fifth annual College Bowl Tournament this past weekend as 40 schools from across the country battled for the bowl title. The largest competition of its kind, the College Bowl drew 64 teams, totaling nearly 350 players, coaches and game officials in attendance. "Around 30 percent of the participants were females, an all-time high," said Pat Matthews, assistant coach for the University team. She explained that two groups of four players answered trivia questions to earn points for their teams. The questions started with a "difficult" clue, followed by a "hard" clue, and ending with an "easy" one. Questions included, "What is the capital of Tanzania?" and "Who was the 23rd President?" They were followed by additional clues until the answer was determined. The College Bowl Tournament took place in the Towne Building, David Rittenhouse Laboratory and Bennett Hall. The University of Chicago won the competition overall, followed by the University of Maryland, Harvard University and Georgia Tech. "[The bowl] was by far the largest tournament I've ever played in," University of Chicago senior John Sheahan said. He added that he believes it is "what Jeopardy would be like if you didn't have to take into account the intelligence level of the average TV viewer." Emory University senior Tao Nguyen said the tournament was "worth the drive." "It was well-rounded, organized, efficient and excellent," he said. "We got to play against a lot of teams we don't usually see." Wharton senior Jeff Gordon coordinated this year's bowl. He was assisted by 1993 Wharton and College graduate Pat Matthews and Jenny Rosenmount, a 1993 College graduate. The 27-member University team runs the tournament every year and participates in smaller competitions across the nation throughout the fall and spring. This past fall, the team attended tournaments at Georgetown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Penn State University and Princeton University. In the spring, the team members plan to attend tournaments at Boston University, Cornell, George Washington, Johns Hopkins and Swarthmore. According to Rosenmount, the "Penn Bowl" is regarded as excellent preparation for the February 25 regional tournament at the University and the April 25 national tournament at the University of Akron. The University will be vying for the regional title against Princeton, Swarthmore and NYU, Rosenmount said.

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