The Academic Decathlon team stood outside, exhausted but relieved, thinking they were just posing for a final team photo. Their coaches stood in front of them, camera in hand, and told them to smile. But instead of the usual “say cheese,” they heard something else. “You broke the school record,” AcDec coaches Michael Hill and Sarah Korotkow yelled.

For a moment, there was silence. Then cheers, laughter and disbelief filled the air as the realization sunk in.

“It was just a very special moment because you saw the excitement, you saw all the effort pay off, and you saw how happy they were for one another to have achieved this team goal,” Hill said.

The AcDec team placed 14th at the Thomas Moseley State Championship and set a new school record for the highest team score of 42,933 at any competition.

The state competition includes academic tests in subjects such as math and science, along with subjective events such as speech and essay writing.

Senior Omera Wahid won silver in art and bronze in science, senior Julia Schwope won bronze in speech and essay, sophomore Asher Morrison won gold in speech, senior Benjamin Johnstone won bronze in math and senior Chase Corbett won silver in math.

“I didn’t expect to medal in both events, so it was a great surprise,” Schwope said.

Wahid said one of the most exciting moments of the competition was the Super Quiz relay, a fast-paced event where teams answer questions in front of a live audience.

“Even though it’s only one section of the overall score, it feels like the moment when we really come together as a team,” Wahid said.

Wahid said in preparing for the competition, team members often stayed late after school or joined virtual meetings to go over material to make sure every category was covered.

“There were definitely moments when we were exhausted, but seeing our final score made it all worth it,” Wahid said.

Hill said the team rarely had any difficulties in preparing for this competition because they were always quick to help each other.

“The constant support they gave each other made this such a special group,” Hill said. “Any time someone got stuck, another teammate was ready to step in.”

Morrison said public speaking has always been something she enjoyed, so she put a lot of effort into making her speech engaging.

“The first time I practiced in front of the team I was nervous,” Morrison said. “But they gave me so much feedback and by the time we got to state, I felt a lot more confident.”

When the team achieved their goal of breaking the school record, their reward was choosing to dye Hill’s hair to match character Hatsune Miku.

“I’m so proud to have a silly hair color for them because they earned it,” Hill said.

The competition experience also created a sense of community among team members. Many recalled inside jokes from study sessions, last-minute cramming in hotel hallways, and the shared stress of waiting for scores to be announced.

“We’re like a family,” Morrison said. “We study together, stress out together, and celebrate together. I think that’s why we were able to accomplish what we did.”

Schwope said as the team looks ahead to next year, she hopes they build on this success and continue proving that hard work and determination can lead to big results.

“We’ve shown what Richardson can do, and I know the next team will push even further,” Wahid said. “This is just the beginning.”