All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

Hundreds attend FIRST Lego League state championships at Fairmont State

The 2019 FIRSTⓇ LEGOⓇ League (FLL) and FIRSTⓇ Tech Challenge (FTC) West Virginia State Championship Tournaments were hosted at Fairmont State University over the weekend. 

Saturday’s FLL event saw 36 teams from across the state compete in four areas: Core Values, Innovation Project, Robot Design, and the Robot Game. This year’s challenge was City Shaper, where teams had to consider “how cities and buildings grow, thrive, and change,” including topics like accessibility, sustainability, and responsiveness to disasters. In order to arrive at this tournament, teams had to be successful at one of seven regional tournaments held throughout November across West Virginia. 

The Champion’s Award went to the Putnam Pink Ladies. This is the highest award of the tournament, and is determined by taking all four areas into equal consideration. They also received the highest score for robot performance, with 425 points (scores). They will advance to the FIRST LEGO League World Festival in Detroit, April 29-May 2. Thanks to a generous donation from Southern West Virginia Robotics Club, their registration for the tournament has already been paid for.  

Second place for the Champion’s award went to The Viking Voyagers, and third place went to the Clover STEMs. Also notable was the Innovative Solution Award, which was awarded to Radioactive. They will advance to the Global Innovation Award Tournament in June at Epcot. 

In between judging rounds, robot matches, and the awards ceremony, there was a FIRST LEGO League Jr. Expo. Nineteen teams showed off projects they had created about this year’s challenge, “Boomtown Build.” Similar to the FLL challenge, teams had to think about how their communities could be designed to be safer and more inclusive. All teams in this non-competitive program received an award to recognize their hard work. 

The FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship on Sunday saw 20 teams from eight compete for an invitation to the World Championship in Detroit. Similar to the FLL tournament, teams design and run a robot on a course, as well as competing for several judged awards. This year’s challenge was Skystone. In each round, teams are paired with a random partner and try to outscore another randomly paired alliance in a head-to-head match. This year’s field included a bridge teams got points for being able to fit under, a foundation they could push into “safe” territory, and blocks that had to be stacked to score points, finished off with a team-designed capstone.  

MCubed from Monroe County won the State Championship Inspire Award, and will represent West Virginia at the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship. The Gas Attendants from Indiana were the captains of the winning alliance and earned a place at the Maryland Tech Invitational in June. 

A full list of awards can be found at http://bit.ly/WVFLL2019.

Photos of teams accepting their awards can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1uL-10twMn4CA-weOw5KMV_DGH0R3aVcN

Scores for all teams and rankings can be found here: https://ftcscores.com/event/PkJFw2lJ.

Share this story:

Local Businesses

RECENT Stories

Summer basketball league begins week two

The Upshur County Summer Basketball League entered its second week with standout performances from top scorers including Cory Harper, Dalton Hamrick, Cordell Nicola, and Vinny Snuffer leading their teams across multiple games.

Buckhannon City Council Special Meeting Agenda: July 15, 2025

The Buckhannon City Council has released the agenda for its special meeting scheduled for July 15, 2025.

BCT to light up the stage with Mamma Mia starting this weekend

Buckhannon Community Theatre will present the musical Mamma Mia! at the Colonial Arts Center starting July 12, featuring ABBA hits, lively performances, and a cast assembled from across the region.

St. Joseph’s Hospital supports healthy habits with mile-long midday walks

WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital has launched a noon walk initiative, inviting staff and community members to join daily one-mile walks to promote physical activity and improve health outcomes.

John Paul Ingram

John Paul Ingram, 83, a beloved Buckhannon resident, ordained minister, and avid outdoorsman who shared his faith and kindness with many, died July 6, 2025, surrounded by his family.

Wesleyan finishes seventh in MEC Commissioners Cup standings

West Virginia Wesleyan finished seventh in the 2024-25 Mountain East Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings, while the University of Charleston captured its eighth consecutive and tenth overall title for all-around athletic excellence.
Summer basketball

Summer basketball league wraps up week one

The Upshur County Summer Basketball League completed its first week at West Virginia Wesleyan College, featuring high-scoring performances from Dalton Hamrick, Cooper Sanders, Derek Sevier, Manadji Tokindang, and Austin Upton.
BUHS Girls Soccer Feature Image

Kelley calls soccer camp a success, has sights on leading B-U girls program to new heights

Logan Kelley, newly named head coach of the Buckhannon-Upshur Lady Buc soccer team, helped oversee a successful youth camp and aims to bring stability and new achievements to the girls program.

Wesleyan professor collecting first-hand accounts, photos to commemorate 1985 flood

A West Virginia Wesleyan College professor and librarian are collecting first-hand stories and photos from the 1985 flood to create an anniversary exhibit preserving campus and community memories of the disaster.