Academic Team Gets a Strong Taste of Bowl Success

To most of the other 15 College Bowl participants, the Georgetown College Academic Team – making its first-ever appearance this past weekend – must have looked like one of those unknowns who qualify for the NCAA basketball tournament each year. But, the five GCATs – all hailing from eastern Kentucky, by the way – competed like they were In-to-Win the nationals and not just happy to be at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.

Once the Georgetown squad picked up a victory and got on a roll, they belonged. Although they placed 8th place over-all, they started crushing opponents – like 4th-place finisher Washington University of St. Louis, 280-130, as well as Maryland-Baltimore County, Seton Hall and Rice University. Georgetown, also had very close losses to the teams that finished first (University of Rochester, 215-265) and fourth (Ohio State University, 225-255).

“If we just could have beaten Rochester, no telling how high we could have finished,” said Georgetown coach Barbara Burch. “But, we definitely weren’t intimidated.”

By enrollment, Georgetown College (1,368) was the smallest institution represented, beating Ball State University, a school nearly five times bigger (16,694) 210-100. Pomona College was next smallest at 1,547 and Rice more than double at 2,959. Five competing schools have undergraduate enrollments of 30,000 or more – Wisconsin, Florida State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Arizona State, the latter with 41,626. Add the graduate programs – and most teams used the one graduate player allowed – and those enrollment numbers soared to 40- to 50,000.

“We certainly aren’t a fluke,” said Burch of her “best ever” Georgetown squad, which won the Kentucky College Quick Recall League for the third consecutive year (sixth time since 2000-01) and Region 5 for the first time to qualify for nationals.

Now that the GCAT is thinking on the national level, Burch said they will look back on this College Bowl experience and put more emphasis on three things:

  1. the types of questions asked at nationals;
  2. current events; and
  3. emotional stamina, finding a way to keep having fun.

“We also need to play more outside the KCQRL and compete against schools we don’t normally see,” she added.

“But, one CBI official said we won one of the toughest regions to get here,” said Burch, citing monumental wins back in February over such notable academic institutions as host Virginia Tech, William & Mary and Davidson College in the Region 5 play-off rounds. “So, now instead of just doing well at Region, our goal will be to get back to nationals.”

Eric Blair, a senior from Pikeville who was top point-getter on the season, was Georgetown’s top scorer at nationals at No. 15. The rest of Burch’s Fab Five are Braden Blankenship, a senior from Raccoon (Pike County) who also was named one of three Dean’s Award winners last week; Rebecca Sicking, a junior from Russell (Greenup County): Tyler Frailie, a junior from Ashland; and Elizabeth Fannin, a freshman from Tomahawk (Martin County).

Burch, then, will have to replace two players from the team she said “just kept getting better and better as the season progressed.” The good news is: her division 2 team won the league this year – a feat Burch’s jayvees have accomplished seven of the last eight years.

“Questions are like riddle…and a player must know to think and when to buzz through,” said Burch, an associate professor of English and Chair of the English Department. “You’ve got to know when to make an educated guess.”