McMinnville robotics team wins, heads to national event

Chronobreak, one of two Grizzly robotics teams, won a Sustain Award at the 20th annual Oregon FIRST Tech Challenge Championship Tournament over the weekend. The team will advance to a national tournament.

Ursa Mechanica, McMinnville High School’s other robotics team, competed in the Spark Invitational Tournament the weekend of Feb. 21 but did not advance.

Chronobreak finished 15th overall in Oregon, which has 300 teams. It earned the Sustain Award for developing a sustainability plan for Mac High’s robotics program. The team’s work teaching elementary and middle school students about opportunities in engineering and science also contributed to the win.

Team members are Adrian Arredondo, Nicholas Burke, Caisa Cochran, Italy Duran, Garrett Kuchta, Xavier Peynado, Owen Smith, Jayson Teller, Colton Tucholsky and Nathan Weyand.

This will be the first time since 2019 that a Grizzly team will compete at a national event, said adviser Dave Clauson. Chronobreak is waiting to learn which tournament it will attend — one in Long Beach, California, in late May or another in Springfield, Massachusetts in mid-April.

The team will be fundraising to cover the costs of the trip. For more information or to donate, contact Mac High at 503-565-4200.