Texas has the most spellers in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Here's a list

Marley Malenfant , Austin American-Statesman

The best spellers in the world (yes, the world) are preparing to compete in the 96th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. While many competing are from Texas, spellers also represent three countries from outside the U.S.: the Bahamas, Canada and Ghana.

The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, from May 28–30. The competition will include 245 spellers, the largest since 2019, including six former finalists and three four-time national participants.

Here’s what we know about the Texas attendees.

How many 2024 spelling bee contestants are from Texas?

According to the Scripps National Spelling Bee guide, Texas has the largest representation with 20 national competitors. California and Ohio are next with 17 each, followed by Florida, Illinois and New York with 13 each.

Here's a list of all the Texas spellers:

Tarini Nandakumar

  • City: Austin

  • School: Challenger School - Avery Ranch

  • Ndakumar is a spelling bee veteran. She’s previously competed in 2021 (tied for 16th place), 2022 (tied for 49th place) and 2023 (9th place).

Sariah Titus

  • City: Abilene

  • School: Mann Middle School

  • Titus competed in 2023 (tied for 122nd place).

Jayden Zheng

  • City: Amarillo

  • School: Bonham Middle School

  • Zheng previously competed in 2023 (tied for 12th place).

Anthony Reyes

  • City: Corpus Christi

  • School: Paul R. Haas Middle School

  • This is Reyes’ first time competing in the national spelling bee.

Faizan Zaki

  • City: Dallas

  • School: Rice Middle School

  • Zaki previously competed in 2019 (tied for 370th) and 2023 (tied for 21st place).

Sriya Gomatam

  • City: Dallas

  • School: Coppell Middle School North

  • Gomatam previously competed in 2023 (tied for 122nd place).

Chioma Egbuonu

  • City: El Paso

  • School: St. Raphael Catholic School

  • This is Egbuonu’s first spelling competition.

Tanya Kadaru

  • City: Fort Worth

  • School: George Dawson Middle School

  • This is Kadaru’s first spelling competition.

Ishika Varipilli

  • City: Houston

  • School: Creekside Park Junior High School

  • Varipilli previously competed in 2022 (tied for 23rd place) and 2023 (tied for 74th place)

Kirsten Tiffany Santos

  • City: Houston

  • School: International Leadership of Texas Katy K-8

  • Kirsten previously competed in 2022 (tied for 5th place) and 2023 (tied for 23rd place).

Vir Lagad

  • City: Houston

  • School: Jim & Pam Wells Elementary School

  • This is Lagad’s first spelling bee competition.

Alejandro Martinez

  • City: Laredo

  • School: Raul Perales Middle School

  • This is Martinez’s first national spelling competition.

Michael Tesfaye

  • City: Lubbock

  • School: Christ The King Cathedral School

  • This is Tesfaye’s first national spelling competition.

Caleb Giuoco

  • City: McAllen

  • School: South Middle School

  • This is Giuoco’s first national spelling competition.

Shreeya Sivakumar

  • City: Midland

  • School: Young Women’s Leadership Academy

  • Shreeya previously competed in 2022 (tied for 89th place).

Jaynard Quiray

  • City: Odessa

  • School: Odessa Christian School

  • This is Quiray’s first national spelling competition.

Kooper Mikeska

  • City: San Angelo

  • School: Irion County Elementary School

  • This is Kooper’s first national spelling competition.

Siyonamithra Kandala

  • City: San Antonio

  • School: Keystone School

  • Siyona previously competed in 2023 (tied for 23rd place).

Lucas Lee

  • City: Victoria

  • School: Travis Middle School

  • Lucas previously competed in 2023 (tied for 122nd place).

Aarav Sargurunathan

  • City: Waco

  • School: This is Aarav’s first national spelling competition.

Previous Scripps National Spelling Bee champions from Texas

According to Scripps National Spelling Bee, Texas produces the most spelling bee champs. Since its inception, there have been 16 winners from the state.

Here are the names:

  1. Richard Earnhart, El Paso, 1942

  2. Nettie Crawford, El Paso, 1962

  3. Robert A. Wake, Houston, 1966

  4. Susan Yoachum, Dallas, 1969

  5. Robin Kral, Lubbock, 1972

  6. Barrie Trinkle, Fort Worth, 1973

  7. Paige Pipkin, El Paso, 1981

  8. Blake Giddens, El Paso, 1983

  9. Sai R. Gunturi, Dallas, 2003

  10. Ansun Sujoe, Fort Worth, 2014

  11. Nihar Janga, Houston, 2016

  12. Karthik Nemmani, McKinney, 2018

  13. Abhijay Kodali, Dallas, 2019

  14. Sohum Sukhatankar, Dallas, 2019

  15. Rohan Raja, Dallas, 2019

  16. Harini Logan, San Antonio, 2022

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas has the most spellers in 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee

Advertisement