VERTEX Qualifies for Worlds Robotics Tournament

By CARLY CANSECO, MARVIN SHIM, and MELIA THIBAULT

One of the Academy’s buildings stands out amongst the rest of the architectural collection: Phelps Science Center–with its sleek glass and blue exterior, the space serves as a bustling hub of science and research. The structure’s three floors and over twenty classrooms dedicated to the different disciplines of STEM contribute to an atmosphere that can bring any STEM enthusiast’s dreams to life. 

Indeed, many dreams, goals, and innovations have been conceived, designed, and developed within these walls, particularly in a special nook at the center of the third floor. This is the home of Exeter’s robotics teams, the genesis of countless ideas, and the birthplace of their machines. The space is animated with the energy of students working together to solve problems, fine-tuning their creations for competitions, and fostering an open-access community for all. Success comes when opportunity meets preparation, and VERTEX’s recent victory at States and their qualifications into Worlds testify to their dedication and fervor for robotics.

Team VERTEX qualified for the 2025 First Championship at the First Tech Challenge New Hampshire Championship on Feb. 15. The tournament, which was divided into two phases  — qualifications and playoff — was a series of 2v2 matches. The winning teams had a chance of advancing to the world championship. The team remained focused throughout the competition, pushing through their losses to become captain of the winning team and win the Inspire Award, earning their way into the world championship.

VERTEX also competed at the First Tech Challenge New Hampshire Championship last year, and several team members noted differences between the preparations, outcome, and challenges throughout the process.

“Compared to last year’s states, I think this is the year VERTEX is far more ready for the competition,” lower and Outreach team member Minghan Zou said. “Robot-wise, we had a much better-prepared robot and much stronger robot function. This year, we also did more comprehensive outreach. Last year, we [VERTEX] focused on a lot of local and regional STEM outreach. Still, we added environmental and political outreach this year, combining those things into effectively spreading STEM awareness and knowledge.”

Senior and drive team captain Eli Pratt reciprocated this enthusiasm. “I’m super excited that we get to go back. We’ve made it to the elimination rounds at Worlds two years in a row, so maybe we can make it a third. I think we can do really well this year.”

Club Advisor and Astronomy Intern in the Department of Science Julie LaFranzo described her experience at the event, “There were 29 teams at the competition, and all of us were in the same room. We all set up in the same room, and the actual competition occurred in the same room. It was deafening and energetic, a very exciting space.”

Captain of Team Vertex and senior Teddy Duncker shared, “During the first half of the day, the environment was focused, but not tense yet. The tournament structure means that there is a chance we will be picked by another team during eliminations, so we wanted to maximize our scores while showing everything we could offer to a potential alliance.”

“The vibe was pretty high during the qualification matches, we were winning a lot,” lower and programmer Kenny Liu echoed. 

“We ended up ranking first with an undefeated record after qualifications matches, so we got to pick a team to join our alliance, and we chose Team Tesseract, a community team from Nashua,” Duncker continued.

However, the tone of the day changed instantly when VERTEX lost their first match to Happy Haptic Doctors and team APEX during the elimination matches.

“Both our robot and Tesseract’s robot had problems during the earlier playoff matches, and we ended up losing one match, so we had to win three matches back-to-back in order to win the lower bracket and then the finals. During the moment when we lost our first elimination match, the team definitely felt desperate because we weren’t able to run code the entire game,” Duncker reflected. Pratt echoed those sentiments as well. “We weren’t able to score one match, and that was really challenging because it’s pretty demoralizing to lose a match. It also makes the other matches way more important and way more stressful.”

“There was definitely high-tense pressure. The robot had an issue at the beginning of the match. When they ended up losing, there was a lot of excess pressure. They had been on an incredible winning streak,” LaFranzo noted.

Despite the challenges, the team was able to collect themselves and move forward. They successfully fixed their robot and eventually reached finals. 

Prep and Outreach team member Audrey Kim recalled her memory of the final match, “It was so insane. I was in charge of filming all the videos, and my hands were shaking. We were doing really, really well, and I was trying hard to keep my camera still. We were ambitious at the last moment when we wanted to add another specimen when we should have probably just hanged, but we made it last second, and that was just an amazing moment.”

“Even with our robot working properly, the environment was really tense leading up to the final match because there was no longer room for error. During the finals, we waited until the last second to make our robot climb to ensure we maximized our point total. We ended up winning the finals by 80 points and setting multiple New England records,” Duncker shared.

“It was so fun seeing everyone just react immediately because we all knew that we won even though the scores hadn’t officially come out yet,” Kim continued.

LaFranzo commented, “When we actually did win, every single member of VERTEX, and our other teams, so EDGE, SURFACE, and APEX, all stood up and rushed our team and the people who were playing, including a number of parents who were there. They were screaming. They were so excited. A couple were crying because they knew that the final win meant they could go to worlds since they were the captain of the winning team.”

“[In] the final moment, I remember almost all of us bursting into tears and jumping up and down hugging each other when we won. As soon as we calmed down a little, we were also announced that we won Inspire, and the tears started again, the hugs were tighter, and the air was filled with laughs and lots of joy. We were so proud of all the work we did this season since everyone worked so hard, and that was just a very special moment for all of us. I was truly elated,” lower and member of Outreach Jade Yoo remarked. 

As aforementioned, VERTEX also won the Inspire Award at the competition, which they also won last year at states.

“Inspire is dependent on how well the team’s outreach does,’ Kim stated. “I remember not getting much sleep to finish our portfolio, and we had also heard that Inspire was almost impossible to win two years in a row. And winning Inspire and captain of the winning alliance was just impossible. Everyone had told me it was impossible, like barely any teams had done this in the past. So when we received the award, I just straight up started crying, it was an emotional moment and such an amazing moment for the team.”

“I never expected us to win Inspire because last year we already won Inspire, and no team in New Hampshire history, to my knowledge, has ever won Inspire two times in a row,” Zou added. “This is because, in New Hampshire, there are only two spots to advance. One usually wins Inspire, and the other wins captain of the winning alliance.”

The team’s success at states is truly a testament to the hard work and dedication of the members of the team and the community they have built. 

LaFranzo shared this sentiment, “I have seen a lot about how they work as a team. I work in the science building every Monday to let the teams come and do their work, and VERTEX is always here, always working together, always positive, and I love that team effort that they all have together. I really get to see it too, because they’re here a lot.”

Yoo continued, “These people are my friends outside of robotics as well. Every time I walk into the lounge or a full team meeting, I feel welcomed and ready to share my ideas. Outreach also got very close, and I am proud of my subgroup and the amazing bonds and memories we share.”

Lower and programmer Owen Wood also found these moments his favorite part of being on the team. “I always enjoy working together in the lounge, where we collaborate and problem-solve as a group. I saw this come into fruition when our computer vision system worked for the first time, it was a rewarding moment that showcased our hard work paying off,” he commented.

The robotics team spends more than twenty hours every week working on the robot, and it is evident that the team has built lasting friendships and relationships that will have their back in and outside of robotics. 

Four alumni, Debbie Ang ‘24, Riya Tyagi ‘24, Alinne Romero-Torres ‘24, and Brenda Romero-Torres ‘24, returned to support their team at the competition, demonstrating that their connection to the community lasted even after they graduated. 

LaFranzo, despite this being her first year and not having worked with members of previous years, reflected in a moment that showed her how strong the team’s bonds were. “When VERTEX had their first loss of the day, they were feeling pretty down, and I could see the stress on their faces. We were all in the stands, and the four VERTEX alumni all saw them across the room. They stood up and immediately went to help them. Even though they weren’t even part of the team anymore, they have a lot of empathy and strength towards one another, which I found to be really positive.”

“How we transfer our knowledge from year to year is central to our success and is a key reason why being on the team is so fulfilling. It always feels like you are learning something from others,” Duncker reflected. “After tournaments, we usually go to Khaophums as a team, and going after states with all of our alumni from last year was really fun.”

After their qualification into worlds, VERTEX members had a chance to reflect on their experience with the robotics team before returning to work.

Kim cited her inspiration to join VERTEX before she even came to Exeter. “Over the summer, I had watched a video about Riya on YouTube, who had already graduated by the time I got here, but she was the reason why I decided to apply to the team. I thought that VERTEX was the place where I could go and learn the most. I knew it was one of the most competitive teams, but I just put it first on my list. When I met Riya at states, it was just a really sweet moment to approach her and tell her I was inspired by her.” 

A senior member of VERTEX also inspired Yoo to join the team, “I really wanted to join Vertex because of my lovely proctor, Eli Pratt. She inspired me a lot, and I am interested in business and communication, so when I heard about Outreach, which serves as a subgroup that spreads STEM and focuses on communication, I knew it was perfect for me. I always wanted to be in a tight team environment, and knew Robotics had a very close community, which I was right on.”

Liu, a team member since prep year, continued, “Being on VERTEX has allowed me to see a lot of previously out of reach technology be actively used in real life. Electrical engineering, computer vision algorithms, control theory, all of these things are not only useful but essential to the success of our robot.”

Duncker, now a four-year member of the team, commented on how VERTEX had impacted his thoughts on robotics, “VERTEX has made me think of robotics and technology as more than just math and science — in many ways, it’s just as collaborative as a humanities class. As a mechanical member, I often find myself sitting around a Harkness table, brainstorming and designing the robot with my team. Because of VERTEX, I now see my future in technology as one where I’ll constantly be working with my peers to solve problems.”

As Duncker reflected, the success of VERTEX, built on dedication and support, is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation. As they head to worlds, the team carries with them not just technical skills and an impressive robot but a sense of community and a shared commitment to shaping the future of technology together. Congratulations, VERTEX, and best of luck at worlds!