Buchholz High School team returning to National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C.

For the sixth time in eight years, Buchholz High School is headed back to National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C.

Buchholz High's team of Andrey Nikitin, Nicholas Dang, Ahan Mishra, Emmanuel Zheng and Michael Wei will take part in the all-expenses paid trip in April after winning first place in the North Central Florida Regional Science Bowl, the district announced. That event covers students from 52 of the state's 67 school districts.

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The National Science Bowl, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, was established nearly 30 years ago and is one of the nation’s largest science competitions. More than 14,000 students compete in the event each year.

Another Buchholz team, made up of students Terrence Han, Sam Cohen, Abhinav Pothuri, James Jiang and Rishi Gadikota, finished second in this year's regional competition.

Both teams are coached by science teachers Marc Moody and Gabriella Bottorff.

Last year’s Buchholz team broke into the top eight nationally for the first time, and Moody thinks this year’s group will do even better with the return of all four starters from last year’s team.

“I have watched them go toe to toe with the best teams in the nation and I'm confident that on any given day they could beat anyone,” Moody said in a district news release. “This year's group is dedicated, bright, gritty and they have been working towards this chance for years. It has been such a privilege to take this journey with them.”

Buchholz isn't the only local school to enjoy success in the prestigious competition. Teams from Eastside High School won the regional event in 2020 and 2021.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville's Buchholz High School headed to National Science Bowl