Bridgewater-Raritan High School freshman Rohan Venugopal was named the state champion when he competed at the International Academic Competitions (IAC’s) New Jersey State Championships on January 13.

Venugopal is now ranked No. 15 in the world for history competitions. Him and his other teammates from the state represent “Team A,” or New Jersey’s best team, which came fourth in international team rankings. Venugopal has demonstrated his vast knowledge about science and geography beyond just history.

The event consisted of a History Bee, a solo event testing competitors’ knowledge of history, and a History Bowl, a team contest. Venugopal competed in the History Bowl with one teammate still making it to finals despite there being more experienced teams that had more people.

The rounds were “buzzer-based” competitions led by David Madden, 19-day Jeopardy champion of 2010. Madden presented the prestigious state champion award to Venugopal and was impressed with the fourteen-year-old’s vast knowledge and swiftness in answering questions.

Following the announcement of Venugopal’s win, New Jersey Representative Tom Kean Jr. reached out to congratulate him. In his letter, Representative Kean thanked Venugopal for “setting an example for other young Americans to follow.”

This was not Venugopal’s first victory in history competitions. He has won many International Academic Competition tournaments in the past. He was also one of the top scorers in New Jersey in the 2023 International History Olympiad held in Rome, Italy.

Venugopal thanked Bridgewater-Raritan High School for the continued support. He encourages more students to join his History Club.