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FIFTEEN UNDERGRADUATES TO COMPETE IN ‘JEOPARDY!’ COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR $100,000 GRAND PRIZE

Competition airing Feb. 1-14 

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (Jan. 26, 2012) – Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 1, “Jeopardy!” will broadcast its 24th College Championship with 15 of the nation’s brightest college students competing for the $100,000 grand prize and a guaranteed spot in the Tournament of Champions.

“As with most things in life, the cost of a college education is steadily on the rise,” said “Jeopardy!” Host Alex Trebek. “With over a quarter million dollars in cash prizes, we want to reward the accomplishments of these incredibly sharp students by investing in their future and helping them reach their full potential.”

More than 12,000 undergraduate students competed for slots in the elite tournament.  Harvard University will make its 14th appearance in the competition and has been represented more than any other university.  This year also marks the first time that Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Eastern Illinois University and Goucher College will compete in the championship. The colleges in the tournament range in size from the 1,446-student Goucher College to Indiana University with 32,543 undergraduates.

The following students are competing for the coveted “Jeopardy!” title:

NAME

Sarah Bart

AGE

22

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY

Goucher College

HOMETOWN

Philadelphia, Pa.

Sarah Bauer

21

Indiana University

Carmel, Ind.

Tyler Benedict

21

Columbia University

Dayton, Ohio

Jaime Alayon

19

The George Washington University

Miami, Fla.

Greer Mackebee

22

Duke University

Knoxville, Tenn.

Zach McDonnell

18

The College of William & Mary

Harrisonburg, Va.

Marie McGraw

21

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Cleveland, Ohio

Weston Mangin

19

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Arroyo Grande, Calif.

Matt Olson

20

Stanford University

Berkeley, Calif.

Charlie Rooney

19

Loyola University Chicago

Minneapolis, Minn.

Anne Rozek

19

Eastern Illinois University

Cary, Ill.

Connie Shi

19

University of Michigan

Okemos, Mich.

Zack Terrill

21

Vanderbilt University

Winter Springs, Fla.

Monica Thieu

18

University of North Texas

Dallas, Texas

Carrie Tian

17

Harvard University

Greenville, S.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second place winner will earn a minimum of $50,000 and third place $25,000.  Semifinalists receive $10,000, and contestants eliminated in the first round receive $5,000.  Since 1989, more than 150 colleges and universities have been represented in the tournament, with nearly $3 million in cash prizes awarded to the students.

“Jeopardy!,” the winner of 29 Emmy awards, including the 2011 Emmy for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Program, was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most awards won by a TV Game Show. The series is the #1-rated quiz show in syndication with 25 million viewers each week.  “Jeopardy!” is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. It is distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and internationally by CBS Television International, both units of CBS Corp. 

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