State school superintendent Tony Evers on Wednesday met Marshfield’s Ocean Sciences Bowl team that successfully defended its 2009 championship last weekend, at this year’s competition in St. Petersburg, Florida. Evers called it “outstanding” as a school from Marshfield competed against maritime schools.
The team, coached by Paul Herder, took first place among 25 teams competing at the University of South Florida. Herder says with the same exact team as last year, he knew they’d “do well” but acknowledges the high level of competition produced some doubt of a consecutive championship.
Since the awards were established 20 years ago, only two other Wisconsin schools have had both winners in the same year but Marshfield was the first to accomplish the feat in three consecutive years.
The students won an all-expense-paid trip this summer aboard the 125-foot schooner “Westward,” run by the Ocean Classroom Foundation.
Mike Warren-WDLB reports (:93)