QCC robotics team is world champion.

• Author: Petrishen, Brad
• Position: Local

Byline: Brad Petrishen

WORCESTER -- A robotics team from Quinsigamond Community College recently beat out teams from around the world to win a robotics championship in Kentucky, the college announced.

"(This win) culminated 14 years of building a world-class robotics program at QCC and within the Worcester Public Schools,'' the school said in a news release announcing its championship finish in the 2015 VEX U Robotics World Championship Tournament.

Sponsored by the Army, NASA and EMC, to name a few, the tournament is a huge deal in robotics circles, with 30,000 people attending the finals, according to the school.

"It is believed to be the first world championship ever won by a two-year college,'' the release said.

The winning team -- one of three Quinsigamond teams to compete at the event -- beat a team from New Zealand in the final round. The four-man team included home-schooled brothers from Oakham -- James Crowther, 22, and Leland Crowther, 19 -- as well as 19-year-olds Jason McKinney of Worcester and Jacob St. Germain of Manchester, New Hampshire.

More than 850 teams from around the globe participated in the event, which was held from April 17 to 19 in Louisville, Kentucky, and also includes categories for teams from elementary, middle and high schools. Just being invited to the event is a tall task, as the 850 participants were...