MACON — Mercer University’s Binary Bears top computer programming team took second place in the 2006 ACM Southeastern Programming Contest held on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. The effort marks the first time the Mercer team has topped Georgia Tech, the three-time defending champion, whose top team came in fourth in the competition this year.
The Binary Bears top three-man team answered nine of 10 problems, and only came in second based on the time to completion, losing to the University of Central Florida. Mercer’s top team was made up of senior Britt Daniel, a computer science and math major from Grovetown, junior David Thomas of Macon, a computer science and math major, and senior John Wright of Warner Robins, a computer science major.
The Binary Bears are now awaiting word from the World Finals Executive Committee, which meets in December after all the regionals are complete around the world, to learn if they have qualified for a trip to the 2007 World Finals, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan, in March.
Andy Digh, computer science associate professor and the Binary Bears advisor, expects the team to qualify for the all-expense-paid trip to the World Finals. Last year, the top two teams, Central Florida and Georgia Tech, each solved nine of 10 problems and were invited to the World Finals, Digh noted.
“It’s just amazing what they accomplished,” Digh said. “We’ve steadily improved every year in the rankings for the last nine years. Seeing we could compete among the top teams gave us tremendous confidence and helped us believe we could go to the World Finals, too.”
The Binary Bears sent a total of five teams of three to Saturday’s contest. All five teams placed in the top 34 among the 70 teams from the Southeastern United States.
The team leaves in two weeks for the CCSC Small College Competition in Nashville, Tenn., on the campus of Lipscomb University.
About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has 7,300 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; four regional academic centers across the state; a university press; teaching hospitals in Macon and Savannah; an educational partnership with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
Mercer University’s Binary Bears Results for the 2006 ACM Southeastern Regional Programming Competition
Oct. 28, Statesboro, Georgia
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Team A (9 / 10 Problems Solved) 2nd Overall Out of 70
Britt Daniel **** Senior in Computer Science & Math from Grovetown
David Thomas ** Junior in Computer Science & Math from Macon
John Wright ** Senior in Computer Science from Warner Robins
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Team B (4 / 10 Problems Solved) 21st Overall Out of 70
Long Bui * Junior in Computational Science from Macon
David Milligan ** Senior in Computer Engineering Jefferson City, Tenn.
Michael Swift ** Senior in Computer Engineering from Tullahoma, Tenn.
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Team C (3 / 10 Problems Solved) 33rd Overall Out of 70
Chris Cordell ** Senior in Computer Science from Natchitoches, La.
Daryl Ebanks * Senior in Computer Science from Macon
Ken Payne * Senior in Computer Engineering from Chester
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Team D (4 / 10 Problems Solved) 27th Overall Out of 70
Bennie Coleman * Senior in Computer Science from Athens
Rob Crawford * Sophomore in Computer Engineering from Conyers
Adam Gum * Sophomore in Computer Science from Lagrange
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Team E (3 / 10 Problems Solved) 34th Overall Out of 70
Danny Noler * Sophomore in Computer Science from Warner Robins
J.C. Sandlin * Sophomore in Computer Science from Columbus
Bryan Solomon * Junior in Electrical Engineering from Byron
* Number of ACM Southeastern Regional Competition Appearances
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