Olympian High Wins California Academic Decathlon Championship - 3/16/2011

Eagles win coveted state title in only second year of competition

True to the name of their mascot, the Olympian High Eagles flew high above the competition in the California Academic Decathlon by winning the Division III championship. In only two years the Eagles have won the San Diego County competition and now the state title as well.

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With 25 teams in their division, Olympian High placed first in Division III and out of 65 teams placed 28th overall in the state. Every member of the nine person team won an individual honors for a total of 24 medals. Students competed in the areas of Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Language/Literature, Mathematics, Music, Social Science and Speech.

Among the standouts for the team were Sophomore Kyle Doria who was the number one Division III scorer; Junior Ben Mendler was the top scorer in the Honors Division; and Junior Andrew Valenciano was the second highest scorer in the Honors Division.

"In two years, Olympian's Academic Decathlon has soared to even greater heights by receiving the State Division III title," said Principal Elaine Elefante Leano. "This is indeed testimony to the talented and dedicated students, coaching staff and parents."

The team was led by the coaching staff of Ken Boulton, Steve Rodriguez, Eric Mabrey and Ben Fabian.

"We're extremely proud to be the Division III champions," said Boulton. "It's with great pride that we bring this title back to San Diego County, the Sweetwater District and Olympian High."

Boulton has won previous San Diego County titles leading the Southwest High team to five consecutive titles between 2003 and 2007.

"We couldn't be more proud of the entire team from Olympian High - students, parents, teachers, staff and administrators," said School Board President John McCann. "They rose to the challenge and showed the high level of academic excellence that exists in the Sweetwater District."