Prairie View A&M University Wins Championship Title At National Academic Competition

Overcoming stiff competition, Prairie View A&M University was named 2010 National Champions of the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (www.hcasc.com), an annual academic competition among the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This year more than 250 students from 48 Historically Black Colleges and Universities answered the call to flex their academic prowess at the 21^st annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge. While each team brought their "A” game, Prairie View A&M University emerged victorious after answering the following question correctly:

Over the weekend the nation’s leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) gathered in Orlando, Florida to participate in the two-day academic competition that tests knowledge, teamwork and speed. Each school showcased their skills and intellect by quickly and accurately answering questions on world history, science, literature, religion, the arts, social sciences, popular culture and African-American history and culture.

Prairie View A&M University beat second place finisher Mississippi Valley State University to claim the championship title and take home $50,000 in grant money for their school. "The intensity of the practices that we had with one another were so competitive that we knew it would carry over into the national championships,” said Cedrick Wilson, Prairie View A&M University team captain. "We felt like we just needed to keep working hard and keep believing and playing the game and not let anything else affect us.”

The Prairie View A&M University team included: Team Captain Cedrick Wilson, senior, biology major; Jonathan Gholston, senior, communications and radio major; Edward Hackett, senior, civil engineering major; and Isaac Hoyt, junior, chemical engineering major.

During the two-day tournament, the 48 HBCU teams competed in a modified round robin format. The top two teams from each of eight divisions advance to the "Sweet 16” in a single elimination playoff. The final two teams then competed for the National Champion title in a best 2- out of 3- final series.

In addition to Prairie View A&M University and Mississippi Valley State University, student teams from North Carolina Central University and Fayetteville State University also demonstrated their academic prowess by making it to the final four.

"The Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is one of Honda’s largest and longest running philanthropic initiatives here in the United States,” said Steve Morikawa, assistant vice president, Corporate Community Relations, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "It is through this program that year over year we are able support one of our nation’s largest contributors to professional and academic talent - Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We are proud to say that through this program, each year we are able to give $328,000 in grants and in the programs 21-year history we have given more than $6 million.”

Since 1989, HCASC has brought together the nation’s best and brightest academic competitors from America’s top HBCUs. Throughout its history, HCASC has been the only annual academic competition between the nation’s HBCUs, touching over 50,000 students.

For downloadable broadcast quality b-roll footage of local schools competing visit the Medialink Digital Newsroom at www.mediaseed.tv. For more information on the Honda Campus All Star Challenge and a list of the 48 participating HBCUs, please visit www.HCASC.com.

About Honda

Honda supports a variety of initiatives aimed at advancing education and creating experiences of discovery that help people see and achieve their own dreams. The Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, along with the Honda Battle of the Bands, are two of Honda’s major initiatives supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities and helping young people pursue their dreams.

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