Becker Robotics Team FRC 4607 C.I.S. wrapped up their incredible season last weekend with a fourth-place win at the Minnesota State High School League Championships in Williams Area at the U of MN. They also received the Engineering & Design Award, the only judge award at the tournament.

 

Competing against 36 of the best teams in the state, FRC 4607 started out strong, going through the qualifying rounds better than they had before and ending up ranked sixth overall.

 

Going into alliance selections they were the third robot picked, chosen by the third seed alliance.

 

In the elimination rounds they lost their first match but came back and won the second. However, they lost again in the third match, which took them out of the running. 

 

Playing a third round for fourth place, the team once again fell short, ending up in fourth place. Even though they didn’t win, it was the best FRC 4607 had done at state since 2014, and it was a satisfactory ending to their season.

 

“We did quite well at the MSHSL State Tournament,” said Head Coach Alex Jurek. “We won the only judge award, the Engineering & Design Award sponsored by Dunwoody Institute. It was the only time a team has won it twice, and we did so in consecutive seasons.”

 

“It’s been unreal,” he continued. “We went into the season with three goals, filling the rocket on the design and strategy side, winning the fourth Chairman’s Award and making it to Einstein. We accomplished all three.”

 

Eleven seniors helped comprise this year’s team, including Ben Fischbach, Victoria Gibson and Nick Verwey, who all plan to attend NDSU next fall; Fischbach and Gibson for mechanical engineering and Verwey for civil engineering.

 

Along with giving them experience in their chosen fields, the three seniors said robotics has also given them a lot of leadership experience.

 

“I learned how to interact as an adult,” said Gibson. “And how to build connections with both peers and elders.”

 

“It’s helped me grow into my own person,” said Verwey. “I had to take charge of my own responsibilities and certain aspects of the team. Personal responsibility.”

 

“This group of seniors has helped to shape Becker Robotics into what it is today,” said Jurek. “Since their freshman year they’ve won four consecutive Chairman’s Awards, the longest streak in Minnesota. For four years in a row they’ve qualified to play with the best teams in Minnesota at the state tournament. They helped to create the largest training event in the world, JUMPSTART Training Event at SCSU. They’ve qualified for Worlds four times making it into playoff three of those times, last season finishing as finalists on Curie Division, this season winning their way onto Einstein Field to play with six of the best alliances in the world.”

 

“This has been a great senior class in a long history of great senior classes for FRC 4607, C.I.S.”

 

The team achieved a record number of accomplishments this season, which included Northern Lights Regional finalist, Hardhat Safety Award and Chairman’s Award,* 10,000 Lakes Regional finalist, Volunteer of the Year (Chris Roadfeldt), UL Safety Award, Team Spirit Award and Dean’s List finalist (Diana Bellefuille), ranked number one team in Minnesota throughout the competition season, Championship Detroit qualifier, Championships Detroit Carson-Tesla Division Quality Award, Championships Carson Sub Division Winner, Championships Einstein Field fifth place, MSHSL State Qualifier, State Tournament Engineering & Design Award by Dunwoody College**, and State Tournament fourth place. * The only team in FRC history to do so in consecutive years at different events. ** First team to receive award twice.