On Saturday, February 21, 2026, the WCHS Hive Mind (AKA the Academic Team) competed at Regions for the Governor’s Cup Conference. After a day full of buzzer-beaters, content tests, and a tense award ceremony, the official Academic Team season has ended for most members of the team.
This sad news, however, comes after a long (and unexpected) season of success. This year, brand new coach Allison Kifer made her debut, and did so with a bang. In previous years, teams had only participated in NAQT tournaments during the regular season. Known for their difficulty and the strength of competitors, these tournaments are almost impossible to excel in–tournaments like Glasgow’s Invitational have teams all the way from Denver flying in to compete.
Instead, Kifer broke the typical schedule for the year by entering a league-style play in the Central Kentucky region, titled “Commonwealth Academic League”. With the current academic team being mostly composed of seniors and freshmen, the new league allowed seniors to go out with a bang, and freshmen a good training ground for their next 3 years of competition. When prompted about why they entered league play, Kifer explained, “We wanted students who have been practicing and competing and ready by the time the Gov Cup came around. When we looked into leagues, the Commonwealth League stood out to us as historically competitive and uses KAAC material, which would be best for preparing us for the Gov Cup.”
All in all, the change seemed to be successful. Kifer reflected, “ Mrs. Cissell and I met at the beginning of the season to discuss our goals. Our goals focused on this: working to re-establish a team culture for the academic team. We wanted to have a team where students were excited to be a part of it, and lay the foundation to grow…I would say we were very competitive in the league.”
After the regular season ended, preparation began for the Governor’s Cup competition, led by the Kentucky Association for Academic Competition (KAAC). Organized through District, Region, and State levels, “Gov Cup” encompasses all major areas of academic teams. For WCHS, there were contestants in all 5 subject areas (Math, Science, Arts & Humanities, Social Studies, and Language Arts), Written Composition, Future Problem Solvers, and Quick Recall.
Students competing in the written test areas practiced with binders full of study guides and accessible resources. All five subjects are entirely individual contests, so students need to prepare to the utmost level to advance to the next round of competition. The Hive Mind left with 10 awards in this category and nine students moving on for written testing, based on the following results:
Math: Ian Mattingly (2nd), Luke Higdon (3rd)
Science: Jacob Skeeters (3rd)
Social Studies: Ian Mattingly (1st), Gerrit Hall (4th), Elijah Crawford (5th)
Language Arts: Stella Jaggers (1st), Sarah McSorley (4th)
Arts and Humanities: Mallory Cox (3rd), Olivia Willoughby (4th)
Notably, Ian Mattingly (12th grade) found success in two categories at Districts. Mattingly detailed, “For competing in multiple categories, you sort of have to have a wide variety of study material, which also means you can’t dive too deep into one specific area. You have to use your time wisely and study what you need to study to perform well, and no more.”
Additionally, the full sets of both Written Composition and Future Problem Solvers contestants advanced to Regions (a feat unachieved in over four years). The total group of eight people faced two separate prompts with similar challenges: timed, on-demand writing based on hot topics in culture and science.
The Future Problem Solvers team (made up of four members and a potential alternate) is tasked with a two-hour competition comprising six main sections. Contestants receive a page and a half long prompt about a futuristic scenario, where they receive a specific charge. The charge is the main goal of their entire proposal, and it often involves solving problems for a certain people group, corporation, or government.
The team then has to derive 16 “problems” from the original prompt that pertain to the charge. They also have a list of 20 “categories” that every problem needs to fit at least one of, including Basic Needs, Psychological, and Transportation. Brainstorming and writing problems is a group effort, one that takes almost an hour or more, but the following steps begin to divide the team.
After writing problems, one designated member has to identify the “Underlying Problem” (UP), which should in theory, resolve most of the other problems. That member has to write a paragraph adhering to strict grammatical stipulations, as well as specific verb phrases and population parameters.
After this problem is created, the entire team then begins to write a set of 16 solutions, which have to meet the same categories as before, but every solution now has to address the single problem outlined in the UP. Students assign imaginary corporations and celebrities to carry out creative solutions, all of which culminate in the final “Action Plan” (AP).
The lengthy AP is the final proposed solution to the UP, written by one member of the team. Usually taking the form of an essay, it explains all aspects of the solution and its benefits.
The UP writer also creates criteria and a mathematical grid that helps the AP writer select their final solution.
This year’s team was composed of four senior girls: Addy Warthman, Sophia Tucker, Aubrey Pernice (UP Writer), and Carolina Rhea (AP Writer). The team is relatively new, with Tucker and Pernice only having one year of prior experience, and Warthman being a brand-new member. Tucker, Pernice, and Rhea all advanced to and competed at State last year. However, after their prompt about “Video Games”, the 2026 team placed 5th in the Region and did not advance to State, despite a strong showing at the competition.
Only two students from WCHS will be advancing to the state round: Mallory Cox for Arts & Humanities (4th at Regions, 3rd at Districts) and Carolina Rhea from Written Composition (1st at Regions, 2nd at Districts). As a freshman and senior, the girls are different, but both are equally motivated to return to the Galt House. Cox has previously competed in Quick Recall, Composition, and Language Arts at State Finals every year of middle school. Rhea has been a State Finalist in Composition for six years, even securing the Middle School State Championship in 7th grade and the High School State Runner-Up her junior year.
Coach Kifer again expressed her excitement following this season, stating, “I am thrilled for our state competitors! First of all, our region is incredibly tough. So, we had students with scores who, in any other region, would have placed in the top 5 and would have been moving on to state…I am so excited for Carolina to compete in composition her senior year. I’ve been watching her compete since her freshman year, placing higher and higher. I would not be surprised to see her with a trophy! Freshman Mallory Cox has locked in on arts and humanities; with her dedication, I also wouldn’t be surprised to see her walk away in the top 5 – but if not, she’s got 3 more years to get there!”
Looking towards the State Finals on March 20-23, Cox professed, “Being the only freshman advancing to state feels amazing. I hope that I can inspire incoming academic team freshmen to know that they can succeed despite being an underdog. Although this year will be a different dynamic with only two students competing, I am excited to spend time with Carolina and experience state finals from a high school perspective.”
As a senior and one of the most veteran members of the team (alongside Samuel Brengelman and Carolina Rhea), Ian Mattingly left his interview with one final message. “Academic team is an experience, to be sure… Every year since [4th grade] I’ve done my best to perform well at the district level and do my best to get to State, in which I was successful three times throughout my career. It’s something I’ll look back on as a good experience in my late childhood, keeping my love for trivia into my adulthood.”
Mattingly’s words surely ring true to the seniors on the team, as they either already have or will conclude their final season in just a few weeks. After 6+ years for some of them or their first and final season for others, it’s a bittersweet ending to an incredible chapter of their lives.
Kifer’s final statement demonstrated the same feeling, simply saying, “This year was so special for my first year as a coach because I had this group of seniors who have stuck it out or decided to give the academic team a try their final year, paired with a big group of freshmen who came over from the middle school already excited to continue competing…I’d say we met our goal and are ready to continue to build the program!”
Wherever this team continues to excel, there’s no doubt they will represent Woodford County with pride, passion, and plenty of quick recall reflexes. Good luck to all Hive Minders competing in the coming years!
