On Saturday, April 11th, the San Dimas High School Science Olympiad team competed at the State level. Last year, the team placed well at the Regional level and advanced to State for the first time since the 1990’s. As the team came back from past achievements, it led individuals to grind even more, driven by greater ambition. The 2026 Science Olympiad program offers two separate teams that compete alongside each other at the competition.
The students are split between the “Gold” and “Blue” teams. Anyone is welcome to participate and play a role on the “Gold” team; however, the “Blue” team is a different situation. The “Blue” team is composed of SDHS’s top students, who were chosen for their expertise in specific events, as well as their involvement in a rigorous team selection process. Making it onto this specific team isn’t just a simple task; it is a harshly selective process. This year, the team already competed at the Regional level at Antelope Valley College. The “Gold” team placed 10th, while the “Blue” team placed 3rd out of 29 schools overall.
Only the “Blue” team advanced to the State competition, which was held at the California Institute of Technology. The team placed 16th out of 32 teams overall, an impressive result that truly reflects their hard work. The team placed well in categories spanning both the building and study events. The following students placed in the top 6 in their events. For Engineering CAD, Jeremiah Laing and Tiffany Ng received 3rd place together. For Code Craze, CJ Frausto and Joshua Situ placed 4th. For Machines: Jeremiah Laing and Aaron Bituin placed 6th.
Tiffany Ng (Junior) is a three-year Science Olympiad member. She competed in Engineering CAD (3rd), Bungee Drop (7th), Entomology (19th), and Disease Detectives (29th). Ng describes her favorite moment of the competition as the Bungee Drop, when she realized all of her data was accurate, especially since she had spent a lot of time collecting it. The Junior further explains, “Jeremiah and I consistently practiced Engineering CAD twice a week for a few hours every time, and our medal proves that our team as a whole can be one of the best in the state with enough effort.”
Jocelyn River (Senior) is a three-year Science Olympiad member. River competed in the Regional-level competition and specialized in developing the helicopter for the state. She conducted extensive research to find the best kit and made her own tweaks, such as changing the disk material on top of the helicopter. She describes the most difficult part as the construction of the rubber band motors; the senior spent almost every day after school performing tests and finding the best possible combination. River goes on to say, “I felt very proud that something I built was used in the State competition. Knowing that I placed first at regionals made me confident, too. State is a different game, and I was very grateful to have placed in the top 15 at state.”
Jeremiah Laing (Senior) is a one-year Science Olympiad member. He competed in Engineering CAD (3rd), Machines (6th), Circuits (11th), Remote Sensing (11th), Robot Tour (16th), Astronomy (17th), and Hovercraft (29th). Laing describes being called up with Ng to receive their 3rd place medals as a proud moment. He further explains that it felt as though their countless hours spent, estimated at 8 hours a week, were all worth it. “I hope it was inspiring for some of the younger members, because it showed that performing well against magnet schools like Troy is possible.”
The Senior explains that he didn’t just acquire a limited set of skills from Science Olympiad this year; he also expanded his skills in leadership and teamwork. “I got to work with people who had very different personalities, and having to navigate that taught me a lot about leading by example, and how to organize a team.”
Eyob Solomon (Junior) is a three-year Science Olympiad member. He competed in Codebusters (19th) and Electric Vehicle (22nd). Solomon describes his favorite moment as celebrating 5 of his team members placing in three different events. “We supported each other by making sure everyone had materials for each event, taking time to talk about how we did for the events, and just keeping a positive attitude when talking to each other.”
Isabella Marroquin (Senior) is a three-year Science Olympiad member. Marroquin competed in Circuits (11th), Remote Sensing (11th), and Experimental Design (25th). She describes her favorite moments as sitting and eating with friends between events, as well as walking with Jocelyn to get boba right next to Caltech. The senior describes the “Circuits” event as the most challenging. She and Jeremiah met almost every week, discussing difficult concepts and taking many practice tests. “I learned that there are always people who work so hard for something, and if they really want it, it always pays off.”
Edward Hana (Junior) is also a three-year Science Olympiad member. Hana competed in Chem Lab (20th), Material Science (26th), Water Quality (22nd), Experimental Design (25th), and Forensics (21st). “Being able to go to state is such an honor, and being able to make San Dimas High School a name that people recognize when competing in Science Olympiad is something I never thought would happen.” He expresses how honored and proud he felt to be part of a team that placed highly among other teams in Southern California. The Junior goes on to say that he hopes they come back even stronger for next year.
