Rose State College’s Quiz Bowl team delivered an impressive performance at the 2026 National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) Community College Championship Tournament, finishing 11th overall out of 24 teams at the national competition held Feb. 26–27 in Rosemont, Illinois, near Chicago.
The team earned its invitation to nationals after ranking among the top teams in the country following sectional competitions, securing a place in the prestigious tournament that brings together the best community college Quiz Bowl teams nationwide.
After a slow start in the preliminary rounds on Friday evening, when the Raiders posted a 2–3 record, the team rallied Saturday morning with a strong tiebreaker victory that advanced them to the middle-tier playoff bracket. The momentum continued through the playoff rounds, where Rose State finished 4–2, ending the tournament with an overall 6–5 record and an 11th-place national finish.
“This team showed incredible perseverance and academic excellence throughout the tournament,” said Dr. Amy Hurst, Quiz Bowl team coach and Rose State STEM professor. “They represented Rose State with pride, and I’m especially proud of how they bounced back after the first night to compete so strongly on Saturday.”
Leading the Raiders was team captain Cassidy McIntyte, who delivered one of the standout individual performances of the tournament. McIntyte ranked 9th out of 104 players after preliminary rounds and climbed to 6th overall by the end of the tournament, earning a coveted spot on the NAQT All-Star Team, which recognizes the top 12 individual players at the championship.
Notably, all members of the Rose State Quiz Bowl team are students from the college’s STEM division, promoting the program’s strong academic talent.
Following the tournament, the Raiders celebrated their accomplishment with a visit to downtown Chicago, taking in the city’s sights and stopping at the iconic Cloud Gate sculpture in Millennium Park.
With a top-half national finish and an All-Star honoree, the achievement is especially notable as this marks the first Rose State Quiz Bowl team in more than 20 years, signaling a strong start for a program that is already establishing itself on the national stage and proving it’s Greater to Be a Raider.