They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that also goes for the number of Scripps National Spelling Bee champions native to the Lone Star State.
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AUSTIN (KXAN) -- They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that also goes for the number of Scripps National Spelling Bee champions native to the Lone Star State.
Data compiled by Bet Texas reported 15 winners from the national competition's 95-year run hail from Texas. Ohio with nine winners and Pennsylvania with seven winners round out the Top 3.
Texas: 15 winners
Ohio: 9 winners
Pennsylvania: 7 winners
Colorado: 7 winners
California: 6 winners
Tennessee: 5 winners
Kansas: 5 winners
Kentucky: 4 winners
Iowa: 4 winners
Missouri: 4 winners
Indiana: 3 winners
Oklahoma: 3 winners
New York: 3 winners
New Jersey: 3 winners
Nebraska: 2 winners
Illinois: 2 winners
Georgia: 2 winners
North Carolina: 2 winners
Alabama: 2 winners
Virginia: 2 winners
Florida: 2 winners
Maine: 1 winner
Massachusetts: 1 winner
Michigan: 1 winner
Arizona: 1 winner
Washington: 1 winner
Wisconsin: 1 winner
Minnesota: 1 winner
Louisiana: 1 winner
And this year's competition could crown not only another Texan, but an Austinite as winner. Two Austin students -- 14-year-old Shrethan Botla and Tarini Nandakumar, 12 -- will vie to become the next Scripps champion.
In total, 21 students will represent the Lone Star State in this year's competition:
Sariah Titus: 5th grader from Abilene, Texas
Jayden Zheng: 7th grader from Amarillo, Texas
Shrethan Botla: 8th grader from Austin, Texas
Tarini Nandakumar: 6th grader from Austin, Texas
Jaxon Escobar: 5th grader from Corpus Christi, Texas
Sriya Gomatam: 7th grader from Dallas, Texas
Faizan Zaki: 5th grader from Dallas, Texas
Arnav Tonde: 8th grader from El Paso, Texas
Brihasa Veduru: 5th grader from Fort Worth, Texas
Luke Nguyen: 6th grader from Houston, Texas
Ishika Varipilli: 7th grader from Houston, Texas
Kirsten Tiffany Santos: 7th grader from Houston, Texas
Nathaniel Rimocal: 8th grader from Laredo, Texas
Ava Flores: 5th grader from Lubbock, Texas
Robbie Ortiz: 8th grader from McAllen, Texas
Shwetha Jayakumar: 8th grader from Midland, Texas
Siyona Kandala: 5th grader from New Braunfels, Texas
Ajay Gundlapalli: 7th grader from Odessa, Texas
Akash Vukoti: 8th grader from San Angelo, Texas
Lucas Lee: 7th grader from Victoria, Texas
Gabriella Chiang: 8th grader from Waco, Texas
The 2023 Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Contestants will undergo a preliminary round Tuesday, with the quarterfinals running on Wednesday morning through the early afternoon.
Semifinalists will compete Wednesday evening, before the finalists vie for the national title on Thursday evening. You can watch the competition online.
