Washington University made the "final four" this spring -- but it wasn't in basketball and it wasn't in a competition between 64 teams.
Rather, an undergraduate team from the University ranked fourth among U.S. and Canadian universities in the prestigious William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. The 57th annual Putnam competition -- an intellectual answer to the NCAA hoops tourney -- was held last December. The results were posted March 24.
Duke University in Durham, N.C., took first, followed by Princeton University, Harvard University, Washington University and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
There were 2,407 contestants from 408 universities. Ten Washington University students participated.
Contestants took a six-hour test in mathematics, attempting to solve 12 difficult and non-standard mathematics problems. Three participants from each school are designated in advance as the school's team, and a team average is computed. Awards are made for both team and individual performances.
The Washington U. team was made up of a trio of mathematics majors: sophomore Mathew Crawford, junior Daniel Schepler and senior Jade Vinson.
While University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith can be proud of his NCAA hoops records, Putnam competition coach Carl M. Bender, Ph.D., professor of physics in Arts and Sciences, doesn't play second fiddle to him. Since 1976, Bender has led Washington University teams to top-10 finishes in 16 of 21 competitions, including 10 top-five performances. University squads have won four titles and placed second four times.
"I'm extremely proud of how the students have done over the years and particularly proud of this year's team," said Bender, who was assisted by veteran Putnam coach Richard Rochberg, Ph.D., professor of mathematics in Arts and Sciences, and by Vladimir Masek, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics.
"This says a lot about Washington University's reputation," Bender continued. "The whole University should be proud of this accomplishment."
The University won a cash prize of $2,000, with each team member receiving an individual prize of $200. Schepler received a $1,000 award for ranking among the top six individual contestants, and he also was designated a Putnam Fellow.
Five of the 10 University contestants ranked among the top 70 individual contestants, including Crawford and senior Lawrence Roberts. Vinson and freshman Daniel Johnston received honorable mention for ranking among the top 35 participants.
Commendations are given to all those placing among the top 500 contestants, with a top-100 finish virtually guaranteeing special attention from the nation's leading graduate schools.
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