Chicago State Takes First Place at Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Qualifying Tournament

Honda Challenge Trophy

(Chicago, February 6, 2017) With great enthusiasm, officials announced that Chicago State University (CSU) took first place in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) Qualifying Tournaments on Saturday, February 4, 2017 and advanced to regionals. The annual competition was held at the University of the District of Columbia where the CSU team competed against seven other universities.

Held since 1989 and sponsored by American Honda, The Honda-Campus All-Star Challenge is a quiz-bowl  competition for historically and predominantly black colleges and universities, Chicago State’s 2017 team returns with an early win just after completing last year’s national competition in second place. The CSU team includes Nicolette Sanders (Chemistry), Isiah Samuel (Pre-Pharmacy), Courtney >Jenkins (Psychology) and Kayla Mensah (Biology- Pre-Med). The team was coached by Dr. Olanepikun Laosebikan, Lecturer of Graduate Programs in Education and Mr. Brandon Morgan, graduate student in Higher Education Administration.

“Our success is a credit to the hard work and dedication of the team. Nicolette, Courtney, Isiah and Kayla worked tirelessly to accomplish this goal of winning a Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Qualifying Tournament,” said Dr. Laosebikan, HCASC Coach. “Building on this important milestone, the team's focus now is on a strong and competitive performance at the National Championship in April.”

This is the 18th year; Chicago State University participated in the qualifying tournaments which is a historic achievement for the university. Last year was the first year that CSU reached the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, and placed second in the national competition. 

“I am extremely proud of our students,” said, Cecil Lucy, Interim President of CSU. “They put in a lot of hard work to prepare for this competition and have demonstrated that it’s not just about trivia, it’s also about working together to learn and improve their skill set as critical thinkers.”

Chicago State University will compete at nationals against 47 other teams on April 8-12, 2017. The finals are televised, and Chicago State is planning a viewing party for the event. 

You can support Chicago State University’s talented HCASC team by voting for the university to solidify a guaranteed spot in the national tournament. Visit www.hcasc.com to vote and share that you voted on Facebook or Twitter. Voting continues through February 8th, 2017 at 12 noon Eastern time. For more information on the 2017 HCASC, including a full list of the qualifying teams, visit www.hcasc.com