By Emmanuel Freeman
The Tennessee State University Honda Campus All Star Challenge (HCASC) team earned a spot in the top eight teams at the National Tournament held in Torrance, California. HCASC is a knowledge bowl competition for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) sponsored by the American Honda Motor Company, which supports HBCUs.
This tournament brought together 32 HBCUs from around the country. The TSU team earned a total of $12,000 in grant money from American Honda for earning a spot in the top eight teams.
The team’s coach, Dr. John Miglietta, who is a professor of political science, said the HCASC is a unique competition that brings together scholars and showcases their knowledge from many HBCUs throughout the country.
“We are very grateful for the support that American Honda provides to HBCUs,” Miglietta said. “The grant money we receive will benefit both our students and our HCASC program.”
The tournament was divided into two parts, followed by a single-elimination playoff with the top two teams playing a best two out of three.
TSU played in the Purple Division with teams from Alabama A&M, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, and Hampton University.
TSU compiled a 4-2 record, winning the division and advancing to the playoffs. TSU then lost a challenging match against Tuskegee University.
The team earned $10,000 in grant money from American Honda with an additional $2,000 grant due to one of the team players outstanding performance. Morgan Gill, a sophomore majoring in urban studies, was named the All-Star player in the Purple Division based on the number of toss up questions answered correctly.
“The team was very excited to finish in the top eight and play on the big stage,” Miglietta said. “It takes a great deal of preparation to get to that level.” The team is proud of its accomplishment and is preparing to win the overall competition next year.
