Wayzata High School: Mathematics Dynasty

For all the attention going to the state's elite hockey and basketball teams this month, one school's dynasty has dwarfed them all from outside the spotlight.

Wayzata High School's Math Team won its fourth consecutive championship earlier this month at the Minnesota Mathematics League State Tournament. It was the seventh state title for Wayzata in the past nine seasons.

“The team dominated the competition, which is pretty unusual for any team at a state tournament,” said Wayzata math team coach Thomas Kilkelly.

If the mathematics league had a hall of fame, it would soon enshrine Wayzata senior Rohit Agrawal, who capped his stellar tenure by placing first at the state meet for the third straight year (Agrawal placed third as a freshman).

“I’ve always liked math. It’s beautiful the way it works,” Agrawal said. Enthusiasm for the subject attracted him to the team, connecting him with others who enjoyed math and the competitive environment.

Agrawal wasn’t able to attend many team practices this season because of his coursework at the post-secondary level, but the competitiveness and social aspect of the team continued to draw him back each year. 

“I’ve met some really cool people,” he said. “We really had an amazing team this year.”

At the March 14 state tournament, Agrawal shared the first-place pedestal with senior teammate Gaurav Singh, while Wayzata sophomore Abram Sanderson finished third. The three were named the top All-Around students for their season and state scores. Also from Wayzata, senior Brian Tu, sophomore Roy Zhao and junior Sahiba Singh ranked among the top 20 at state.

Despite earning first-place honors each year, Agrawal said he has “never taken it for granted” that he would do well at each match and was “thrilled” at this year’s tie for first place.

Fellow first-place finisher Signh was “happy” with the state results as well.

“I was excited to be able to go through the season with little or no mistakes,” he said.

The Minnesota Mathematics League, which sponsors the state tournament, includes 161 schools in 24 divisions. More than 3,000 students participate in matches throughout the year. Of the 70 students statewide to reach the Tier I competition at state this year, 14 were Wayzata High School students. Competitors at the state level had little hope against Wayzata. St. Paul Central High School finished a distant second.

To get an idea of what these budding mathematicians tackle, there's a Google document online with links to PDF files of more than decade's worth of problems and solutions from previous Minnesota high school math tournaments.

Preceding the team and individual state tournament exams, which determine the final place and ranking, students participate in an invitational event. The invitational includes a 30-minute test with 15 questions, each more difficult than the last. The top ten scorers move onto a Math Bowl—a head-to-head fast-response competition that eliminates students for incorrect answers in front of their peers. 

Kilkelly attributes the success of the team to “a lot of hard work by the kids who enjoy math and the competition. They are committed.”  The group practices once a week for the five meets held throughout the school year, leading to the state competition in March. Outside of school, students dedicate their time to prepare individually by practicing problems provided by coaches.

Success over the past decade has encouraged other students to join the growing team, Kilkelly said. At the beginning of the school year, more than 60 students had joined, with the long-term seniors mentoring the underclassmen.

Still, Kilkelly says his team will lose some “pretty powerful people” to graduation and that he's a “little worried” about next season, though he's also encouraged by the talent returning next year.

Competition is far from over for the Wayzata team. Several members are competing at a national and international competition in April. Kilkelly said the competitions challenges the students and continues to “raise the bar.”

“We’re setting our sights high,” Kilkelly said.