Quick look: With 12 medals overall, Troy High School earned first place at the 2026 MIT Science Olympiad Invitational, one of the most competitive high school Science Olympiad tournaments in the country.
Troy High School recently earned first place at the 2026 MIT Science Olympiad Invitational, held this past weekend at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The MIT Invitational is considered one of the most competitive Science Olympiad tournaments in the country, drawing top high school teams to compete in Division C, the highest level of Science Olympiad competition. Division C events are designed for high school students and include more than 20 advanced science, engineering and team problem-solving challenges.
Teams are evaluated across a wide range of disciplines, including chemistry, earth science, physics and engineering design. Rather than rewarding a single standout performance, overall team rankings are determined by consistent results across all events. Similar to golf, the lowest combined score earns first place.
Troy, which is in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District, finished first overall at the Jan. 24 competition with a total score of 142, ahead of teams from New Jersey, California, Hawaii and Wisconsin. The win marks the eighth time the Troy’s Science Olympiad program has claimed first place at the MIT Invitational, according to district officials.
“We are very proud of our Science Olympiad team and their coaches,” Principal William Mynster said. “Coaches and students work after school to learn, prepare and practice the various competition elements which are part of the Science Olympiad. I look forward to seeing our students continue their progress, and know they are continuing to improve as they prepare for their next competition.”
The team also earned 12 individual event medals at the MIT Science Olympiad Invitational, including seven first-place finishes. Junior Liran Zhu led the team with five gold medals across multiple events, while team co-captain Gordon Wong earned four medals, including two first-place finishes.