Team USA at the 2018 International Geography Olympiad in Quebec City. From left to right, Coach Jason Flowers, Benjamin Benjadol, Daniel Ma, Kyle Yu, Kevin Lu, and Coach Steve Muench.
For the sixth straight year, the US Geography Olympiad organized the participation of Team USA at the International Geography Olympiad, which took place from July 31-August 6 in Quebec City, Canada. And for the second straight year, Team USA finished 3rd overall – this year out of 43 teams – congratulations! Team USA for 2018 was coached by Jason Flowers and Steve Muench who teach at the Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy in Austin, TX and Leonia Middle School in Leonia, NJ respectively. 165 students competed from around the world. The team members of Team USA with their order of finish were as follows, along with their medals:
Gold – Kyle Yu, Westlake High School, Westlake, Ohio (7th Place overall)
Gold – Benjamin Benjadol, Trinity High School, Euless, Texas (14th Place overall)
Silver – Kevin Lu, Richard Montgomery High School, Rockville, Maryland (34th Place overall)
Silver – Daniel Ma, Hunter College High School, New York City, New York (40th Place overall)
Note: While the exact formula can vary a bit from year to year, typically 50% of students at iGeo receive medals. Approximately the top 1/12 receive gold medals, students finishing in the 2nd and 3rd 12th typically receive silver medals, and students finishing in the 25th to 50th percentile typically receive bronze medals.
All team members also participated in a training camp in Montreal, where they completed a sample fieldwork exercise, studied as a team, and did some sightseeing prior to traveling on to Quebec City. Congratulations to all team members and coaches on a great job! For further details on Team USA’s participation at iGeo, please see this page.
