Pittsford Odyssey of the Mind Teams Shine at States, Advance to Worlds

Pittsford students are headed to the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals at Iowa State University, taking place May 27–30, where they will compete against top teams from around the globe.

These students advanced through a highly competitive season that began with the regional tournament on March 7, where 37 Pittsford teams participated. Seventeen teams moved on to the New York State tournament on March 21, 2026, with six teams ultimately earning top placements and qualifying for the world stage.

1st Place

• Mendon Center Elementary Team A, Problem 2: Jamie Kay, Riya Talamanchi, Christian Haldeman, Jason Duan, Ayaan Garg, Saira Iyer, Spriha Dhakal

2nd Place

• Thornell Road Elementary Team A, Problem 5: Emma Yelverton, Felicity Irwin, Tanvi Madanmohan, Stella Mannava, Reilly Newhall, Isabelle Monaco, Eunice Maeng
• Pittsford Middle School Team B, Problem 4: William Haldeman, Lakshayaa Kaza, Anjali Man, Vanmayee Mudgundi, Rithvik Pagadala, Richi Talamanchi, Damianos Tzogas

3rd Place

• Park Road Elementary Team A, Problem 1: Blake Tepper, Zev Godder, Phoenix Alexander, Allen Meeks, Owen Ketch, Miles Shoeck
• Park Road Elementary Team A, Problem 5: Hudson Sauer, Mason Peters, Thomas O'Neal, Luka Tadin, Harold Knapp, Gurbaj Singh
• Pittsford Middle School Team A, Problem 2: Nathan Bylund, Keerit Devgun, James Grace, Riley Hutchins, Aidan Murray, Whit Engel, Kepler Piper

This marks the 38th year Pittsford Schools have participated in Odyssey of the Mind. Some of this year’s NYS Tournament highlights included a balsa wood structure built by Pittsford middle school students that weighed under 18 grams and held an impressive 569 pounds. For the second consecutive year, Mendon Center Elementary’s Problem 2 Team is advancing to the World Finals

At Worlds, teams will showcase their creativity across several challenges: Problem 2’s technical “Lost in OMERland,” featuring a humorously malfunctioning “Technical Trip Assistant”; Problem 4’s “Life’s a Ball!,” combining performance with structures designed to withstand colliding balls; and Problem 5’s “Taller Tales of John Jivery,” where students present original, humorous tall tales with surprising twists

Congratulations to all of these students for their creativity, teamwork, and dedication—and best of luck at the World Finals!

Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving program in which teams of up to seven students collaborate over several months to develop innovative solutions to long-term challenges. These challenges fall into categories such as vehicle design, technical performance, classical arts and literature, balsa wood structures, and theatrical performance. Teams are also tested at competitions with a spontaneous problem they have not seen before.