Champion Named In San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego County has a new spelling bee champ.

Benjamin Evans, an eighth grader from Twin Peaks Middle School in Poway, won the 54th San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee Thursday at the Jackie Robinson YMCA in San Diego.

After 19 rounds, Benjamin correctly spelled the winning word "epihippus," which is an extinct genus of the modern horse family.

"I can't believe what's happening," he said after the competition. "I worked so hard for this."

More than 80 students participated in this year's countywide spelling bee. The event celebrates school-site spelling bee winners in sixth through eighth grades from public and independent schools across the county.

Benjamin bested runner-up Mihir Konkapaka, a two-time champion from Mesa Verde Middle School in Poway Unified School District. In May 2023, Mihir was eliminated in the fourth round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Benjamin will represent the county at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in late May in the Washington, D.C. area. Mihir will serve as an alternative in case Benjamin is not able to compete at the national level.

"Now, I guess I've got to go study some more," Benjamin said.

The county has a history of making a strong showing at the national level. In 2012, the local winner, Francis Parker School student Snigdha Nandipati, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee. In 2005, Anurag Kashyap, a student from Poway, won the national competition.

"The Spelling Bee is a time-honored academic competition that any student can participate in to connect with school and develop skills that will help them in the future," said Dr. Paul Gothold, San Diego County superintendent of schools. "Spelling bees provide students who may not have interest in sports or arts a chance to be part of a scholastic competition and offer another way for students to connect with their schools."