Naperville Central’s Math Team placed third in the state after their second meet on November 4th. 

“[Math team has] never beat North at DVC but we’ve beaten North at these last two meets so we’re hopeful that this year we’ll be able to beat them,” said Marrisa Rakes, head coach of Central’s Math Team. 

While DVC is not until February, captain Jerry Luo is hopeful for the ongoing season. 

“I think we’re carrying momentum from last year,” Luo said.  “We’re doing really good this year, so I think we have the potential to do just as well and maybe even better.” 

The math team has seen an increase in numbers since COVID-19 began, said. 

“This year, we’ve had a lot of new members, especially the freshman class, so I think it’s really good for the math team,” Luo said. 

The team holds practice weekly for an hour and competes in North Suburban Math League throughout the year, along with other competitions. Each grade level is given a specific math subject to study before the meet. Members are also given practice to take home. There’s a lot of work that’s done to prepare for the meets, Luo said. 

“Every year we have some really strong students that do really well in the competition,” Rakes said. “I hope that we could stay in the state around third or fourth place.”