Quick look: University High School finished seventh in the nation at the 2026 United States Academic Decathlon National Competition in Garden Grove, earning Rookie of the Year honors in Division 1 and multiple individual medals.
Orange County students capped a strong Academic Decathlon season with a top-10 national finish, as University High School placed seventh overall at the 2026 United States Academic Decathlon National Competition.
Held from April 23 through April 25 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, the national event brought together top teams from across the country to compete in a rigorous, multidisciplinary academic contest.
University High, representing the Irvine Unified School District, also earned Rookie of the Year honors in Division 1, awarded to the highest-scoring team competing at nationals for the first time.
The team was among seven California schools to advance to nationals following the state competition in March, where University placed ninth overall while competing under United States Academic Decathlon eligibility rules.
This year’s competition theme, “The Roaring Twenties,” guided the curriculum across subject areas, including literature, economics, science and social science.
Founded in Orange County, the United States Academic Decathlon is a team-based academic competition that challenges students across 10 events, including mathematics, literature, economics and science, as well as interviews, speeches and essay writing.
Top-10 finish highlights team’s growth
University High’s nine-member team included Samantha Hanson, Avril Zhang, Aritri Saha, Kael Seck, Tea Vu, Emily Sun, Mickey Zhao, Susan Rasyidi and Anna Liu. The team is coached by Christopher Esposito, a world languages teacher.
Several students also earned individual medals at the national competition:
- Samantha Hanson: Bronze in art; team MVP
- Kael Seck: Highest overall score on the team
- Tea Vu: Silver in speech; bronze in essay and literature
- Avril Zhang: Bronze in music
- Emily Sun: Gold in literature
- Aritri Saha: Silver in speech
“Uni Aca Deca has been a growing chapter over the past two decades,” Esposito said. “The chapter started in the late 2000s when the students and coach quickly realized that it is quite the competitive organization. Each year, the team improved, advancing to the state competition for the first time in 2018 and now finally advancing to the national competition in 2026 and scoring in the top 10 in the nation.”
“These phenomenal students studied during hours of their free time to compete,” he added. “They are motivated, ambitious and find pure enjoyment in bonding as a team to represent Uni.”
The national competition marks a rare opportunity for Orange County teams. As noted earlier this season, the last time a local team competed at nationals was in 1991, when Laguna Hills High School placed second.
University High’s performance builds on a strong showing by Orange County teams at the state level, where Woodbridge and Valencia high schools also placed among the top competitors.
For more information about the Orange County Academic Decathlon program, visit the Orange County Department of Education’s webpage.