Merced, CA (February 10, 2026) — The 45th Annual Merced County Academic Decathlon was held Saturday, bringing together students from 10 high schools across Merced County to compete in a multi-subject academic competition, including Atwater, Buhach Colony, Delhi, El Capitan, Golden Valley, Hilmar, Livingston, Los Banos, Merced and Pacheco. Merced High School finished as the top-scoring large school and claimed first place overall in the event.
Merced High’s decathlon team, comprised of Saha, Maricruz Olmos-Aguayo, Anika Gopinathan, Lawrence Ye, Sophie Hoie, Ricardo Navarro, Nicholas Roussos, Timothy Modafferi and Sol Flores-Merino, claimed the team championship under coach Yer Lawson, marking the school’s 21st title since the event began in 1982.
Merced High’s Rishabh Saha stood out as the top-scoring individual for the second year in a row, winning gold medals in the honors division for art, economics, essay, literature, mathematics, music, science and social science. Saha also earned a perfect score in literature and a special $300 scholarship as the overall top scorer.
The Academic Decathlon tests students in a wide range of subjects including mathematics, science, economics, literature, art, music, essay writing, speech, and interviews. Schools compete in one of three divisions based on enrollment size: small schools, medium schools, and large schools.
According to Los Banos High School Academic Decathlon coach Felix Sanchez, the large school division included Merced High School, Golden Valley High School, and Buhach Colony High School, which placed first, second, and third respectively. Medium schools included Los Banos High School and Livingston High School, while small schools included Delhi and Hilmar.
Los Banos High School finished as the top-scoring medium-sized school in the county. In a message provided to the Los Banos Enterprise, Sanchez wrote, “This past Saturday was the regional competition for the Merced Academic Decathlon, and our team finished as the Top Scoring Medium Sized School in Merced County! This was a whole team effort and every point counted towards our success as a team.”
Los Banos High School competed in all three Academic Decathlon levels: honors, scholastic, and varsity. The honors team included Fredy Artiga Hernandez, Eisha Eve Balaba, and Vivian Le. The scholastic team included Max Menefee, Juan Real, and Siena Halloran. The varsity team included Rachel Betschart, Isaac Lopez, and Julian Felix.
Sanchez emphasized the workload students balanced alongside the competition. “These students worked incredibly hard to achieve these results all the while still remaining on top of their other commitments such as work, FFA, AP classes, sports, and band,” he wrote. “I am incredibly humbled to be their coach as they bring a level of dedication and drive that I simply cannot take credit for.”
Several Los Banos students earned scholarships and individual medals. Max Menefee was the top-scoring student on the Los Banos team and received a $500 Robert Wayne Scholarship, along with gold medals in economics, science, and social science and a silver medal in literature. Fredy Artiga Hernandez received a $250 Robert Wayne Scholarship. Rachel Betschart received a $250 Robert Wayne Scholarship and earned gold medals in interview with a perfect score, literature, and speech, silver medals in music and science, and bronze medals in social science and essay.
While all participating schools are eligible to award Robert Wayne Scholarships, an initial public summary listed recipients from only six of the 10 schools. At Atwater High School, the recipients were Azzie Perez Botello and Maxwell Hill, who each received $250, and Cesar Torres-Gimaldo, who received $500. Buhach Colony High School awarded $250 scholarships to Hannah De Neveu and Zuyeily Zepeda-Robles, while Josh De Neveu received the $500 award. At El Capitan High School, Jasmine Barn and Anushka Elwin each received $250 scholarships, and Alomah Kouadio received $500. Golden Valley High School scholarship recipients included Reese Richards and Estrella Gonzalez-Preciado at $250 each, and Moise Gonzalez-Urbano at $500. Livingston High School awarded $250 scholarships to Taranveer Sigh and Angelo Escamilla, with Saniya Claire receiving the $500 scholarship. At Merced High School, Lawrence Yo and Nicholas Roussos each received $250 scholarships, while Rishabh Saha received the $500 award.
Sanchez explained that each participating team is entitled to the scholarship structure, which includes one $500 scholarship for the top overall scorer and two $250 scholarships for top scorers in the remaining team divisions.
Los Banos High School did not have any four-year scholar medal recipients this year. Sanchez said during the interview that the Academic Decathlon program at Los Banos High School is currently in its second year since returning, which makes students ineligible for four-year recognition at this time.
Sanchez also credited the broader school community for its support, writing, “A big thank you goes to the volunteers who came that day to support our team as we cannot run the competition without your support, and our Tiger Family who provide/model the strategies to study each subject outside of my own content area.”
