Following their tournament at the American Academic Competition Institute (AACI) Sports Medicine Competition, where Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Sports Medicine Anatomage Teams—Second Pulse and No Brain No Gain—both qualified for the Anatomage National Tournament. Taking place on May 29 to 30 at the Anatomage Headquarters in Santa Clara, AHS walked out victorious, with Second Pulse placing 1st in the nation and No Brain No Gain placing 5th in the nation. These two teams placed in the top eight in the nation, retaining their National Championship titles. Out of the 8000 competing students from 2200 schools, 41 teams qualified for the national competition.

The preliminary matches were held on the morning of May 29, determining the seeding for the 41 teams competing in nationals. Made up of seniors Tejas Nandi and Michelle Ho, and juniors Scarlely Chiu and Luke Yang, Second Pulse seeded 4th in the competition. No Brain No Gain, consisting of seniors Thet (Tim) Zaw and Joy Tsogt-Erdene, and juniors Akanksha Biju and Jimmy Guo seeded 3rd, setting up the brackets competition for the head-to-head matches held on May 30. 

Both teams worked their way up the rounds, moving forward from Top 32 to Top 8. However, No Brain No Gain lost to Teletubbies, Newport High School’s team from Washington. Second Pulse proceeded forward in the quarterfinals by defeating Teletubbies. Second Pulse then defeated Peter’s Poodles from Francis Tuttle High School in Oklahoma in the semifinals by a single point, marking a pivotal moment in their performance as they advanced to finals. Ultimately, Second Pulse claimed victory against the Griffins from Issaquah High School in Washington in the finals, winning the championship and placing 1st in the nation and receiving a $15,000 scholarship.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MEDICINE