Five Robotics teams from Covington Catholic High School, involving twenty-one students, have qualified for the VEX Robotics World Tournament in Dallas, Texas in May.
The teams were selected based on their results at the Kentucky VEX Robotics State Tournament, including a first-place finish by CovCath team “The Housecats.”
The Housecats with students they mentor from St. Pius X School (Photo from CCHS)
In addition, Covington Catholic High School coach Tom Rowe was selected as the 2021-22 Kentucky Robotics Coach of the Year. Rowe has dedicated ten years to coaching in three different types of robotics at St. Mary’s in Alexandria and Covington Catholic. He has also mentored teams and is currently helping Campbell County start a team for next year.
The five CovCath teams qualifying for the world tournament are:
• Housecats: Seniors Ethan Conrad & Grant Fischer and Juniors Thomas Frondorf and Ben Scheffter
• RoboColonels: Seniors Jason Hackman, Zach Smith, Jonah Ikeda, Jack Hovan, and Nate Hammond
• Colonelbotics: Freshmen Luke Darpel, John Gribben, Jacob Thomas, and Nic Blanchet
• Flintstones: Juniors Brent Young, Max Gerwe, Nick Clark, and Dominic Gates
• X-Factor: Juniors Hayden Bishop and Jackson Chamblee and Sophomores Michael Zechella & Will Thomas
The Housecats’ win was the first robotics state title in CovCath history. With an alliance partner team from Martha Layne Collins High School, they beat the 16th and 22nd-ranked teams in the world rankings in a best two-out-of-three match to win the state championship.
In addition to the development of academic and technical STEM skills, robotics competitions also foster innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to continuous improvement. The team its journey began eight years ago in the inaugural year of the CovCath VEX Robotics program in 2014.
The school has established a Just Giving funding campaign with a goal of $23,000 to help offset the cost of the trip for the twenty-one students and two coaches attending the “Worlds” competition.
Sponsorships by businesses are also welcome, in addition to the corporate sponsors who support the CovCath Robotics program throughout the year. Please contact the Covington Catholic High School Advancement Office at 859-448-2269 for more information.
Covington Catholic High School
