Team engi-NERDS 3.0 place first in volleytball at Warrior Games (standing L to R: Muneer Ali, Harsh Gangakhedkar, Khrupa Saagar, Vrushen Pathak, Vanda Ametlli; sitting L to R: Lirjon Llusho, Amogh Bhokare, Rahul Dev Verma, Aditya Gunavante and Ajay Mudunuri)
by Derrick Bean The engi-NERDS 3.0, a team of more than 30 engineering students, finished second overall at the 2010 Warrior Games, the best ranking of their young career. Gabriela Diaz, mechanical engineering senior, is the engi-NERDS creator and team manager. She is more than happy with her team’s efforts. “I’m really proud of our team this year,” says Diaz. “We chose events that didn’t necessarily favor us, and we still pulled out second place, which is impressive. This year the competition was a little more competitive then we had anticipated or would have liked.” More than 25 teams competed in the Warrior Games, a week-long student competition aimed at improving campus life. The 2009 reigning champions, team Japanthers, returned to their number one spot with 1,940 points, receiving just 195 points more than the engi-NERDS. In their first event, the engi-NERDS stood firmly atop the two-on-two table tennis charts after conquering the Japanthers, making it known that they would indeed be a contender. The engi-NERDS also placed first in both volleyball and window painting, events that the Japanthers entered as well. Engineering students painted their window based on the Willy Wonka “Nerds” candy. In the painting, several “Nerds,” or creatures shaped like the popular candy, can be seen holding a table tennis paddle, a volleyball, or some other piece of equipment representing one of the many Warrior Games events. The engi-NERDS placed second in ultimate frisbee and third in the mandatory essay event. Their essay, written by John Herbon (ME) and Alisha John (CHE), answered the question: “How can WSU students become more involved in campus activities, intramural sports and student events?” Herbon and John took an “engineer’s approach” to the essay by using a problem-solving process. They wrote about emphasizing the importance of campus involvement early in a student’s career. The entire essay can be read here. Diaz says they attracted more students this year thanks to team captain Vanda Ametlli who created a Facebook group page to get the word out. “That is exactly what we wanted to happen,” says Diaz. “We all made a lot of friends this year, and had a good time.” It also helped to have the support of engineering students at each event, earning the team 90 volunteer points, just 10 fewer than the Japanthers. “It really did make a difference to have a larger team and to have people cheering on the sidelines,” says Diaz.. Diaz is thankful for everyone who participated in the Warrior Games. She says support is important for the college and the campus. “I would encourage faculty, those who were not involved and those who are learning for the first time about Warrior Games to become more involved next year,” she says. “Ultimately, we’re representing the College of Engineering and having good support puts out a good message.” |