Lake Land College Hosts First-Ever Laker Academic Invitational
Published on February 13, 2026
Lake Land recently held the first-ever Laker Academic Invitational, a competitive event designed to challenge and recognize local high school students for academic excellence.
During the event, Lake Land hosted more than 300 students across 17 local high schools to compete in a series of multiple-choice exams across seven subjects: biology, chemistry, computer science, software applications, English, mathematics and physics.
The students competed as individuals and as teams, with the top-scoring students and schools recognized after the event for outstanding performance.
The following students and schools earned awards in each of the respective categories.
| Biology – Division A | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Madison Walker | St. Anthony High School | 1st | |
| Laney Walker | St. Anthony High School | 2nd | |
| Rylan James | Cumberland High School | 3rd | |
| Zoe Miller | Casey-Westfield High School | 3rd | |
| Biology – Division B | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Addison Blackwell | Pana High School | 1st | |
| Maggie Jenkins | Effingham High School | 2nd | |
| Maci Hayes | Effingham High School | 3rd | |
| Chemistry – Division A | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Addison Johnson | Cumberland High School | 1st | |
| Mitchell Blade | Cumberland High School | 2nd | |
| Holly Goldstein | St. Anthony High School | 3rd | |
| Chemistry – Division B | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Wyatt Roberts | Paris High School | 1st | |
| Rece Kinney | Effingham High School | 1st | |
| Max Greenwood | Effingham High School | 2nd | |
| Addison Blackwell | Pana High School | 2nd | |
| Thomas Weber | Marshall High School | 3rd | |
| Drew Templeton | Paris High School | 3rd | |
| Computer Science – Division A | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Jonah Tibbs | Cumberland High School | 1st | |
| James Crispin | Oakland High School | 2nd | |
| Addison Montgomery | Windsor High School | 3rd | |
| Computer Science – Division B | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Lincoln Wheeler | Mattoon High School | 1st | |
| Liam Gibson | Mattoon High School | 2nd | |
| Beckett Hild | Mattoon High School | 3rd | |
| Shayn White | Paris High School | 3rd | |
| Software Applications – Division A | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| James Crispin | Oakland High School | 1st | |
| Kate Yates | Casey-Westfield High School | 2nd | |
| Oliver Kreke | St. Anthony High School | 2nd | |
| Andrew West | Oakland High School | 3rd | |
| Software Applications – Division B | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Sam Collins | Effingham High School | 1st | |
| Bryce Griguhn | Marshall High School | 1st | |
| Miles Lycan | Marshall High School | 1st | |
| Liam Gibson | Mattoon High School | 1st | |
| Bo McFarland | Marshall High School | 2nd | |
| Madix Weddle | Marshall High School | 2nd | |
| Owen Matthews | Mattoon High School | 2nd | |
| Aaron Moss | Pana High School | 2nd | |
| Sean Dunn | Paris High School | 2nd | |
| Gatlin Nicholson | Marshall High School | 3rd | |
| Jacob Weber | Marshall High School | 3rd | |
| Toby Holman | Pana High School | 3rd | |
| Armend Malovski | Paris High School | 3rd | |
| Judd Snoke | Shelbyville High School | 3rd | |
| English – Division A | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Larson Burns | Altamont High School | 1st | |
| Madison Walker | St. Anthony High School | 1st | |
| Laney Walker | St. Anthony High School | 2nd | |
| Jonah Tibbs | Cumberland High School | 3rd | |
| Charity Large | Casey-Westfield High School | 3rd | |
| English – Division B | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Elizabeth Kirkbride | Shelbyville High School | 1st | |
| Lyla Beverly | Marshall High School | 2nd | |
| Madix Weddle | Marshall High School | 2nd | |
| Tessa Bowers | Shelbyville High School | 3rd | |
| Math – Division A | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Michael Wright | St. Anthony High School | 1st | |
| Mitchell Blade | Cumberland High School | 2nd | |
| Ronan Bailey | St. Anthony High School | 3rd | |
| Math – Division B | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Lincoln Wheeler | Mattoon High School | 1st | |
| Max Greenwood | Effingham High School | 2nd | |
| Keenan Svendsen | Paris High School | 3rd | |
| Physics – Division A | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Frank Scheidemantel | St. Anthony High School | 1st | |
| Ronan Bailey | St. Anthony High School | 2nd | |
| Isaac Fallert | St. Anthony High School | 3rd | |
| Physics – Division B | |||
| Name | School | Place | |
| Keenan Svendsen | Paris High School | 1st | |
| Sean Dunn | Paris High School | 2nd | |
| Landyn Buening | Teutopolis High School | 2nd | |
| Gavin Buening | Teutopolis High School | 3rd | |
| Joey Probst | Teutopolis High School | 3rd | |
| Team Results – Division A | |||
| School | Place | ||
| St. Anthony High School | 1st | ||
| Cumberland High School | 2nd | ||
| Altamont High School | 3rd | ||
| Team Results – Division B | |||
| School | Place | ||
| Mattoon High School | 1st | ||
| Paris High School | 2nd | ||
| Marshall High School | 3rd | ||
Pictured front row (left to right): Maggie Jenkins, Effingham High School; Laney Walker, St. Anthony High School; Madison Walker, St. Anthony High School; Addison Blackwell, Pana High School.
Pictured back row (left to right): Zoe Miller, Casey-Westfield High School; Rylan James, Cumberland High School; Maci Hayes, Effingham High School.
Pictured front row (left to right): Holly Goldstein; Mitchell Blade, Cumberland High School; Addison Blackwell, Pana High School; Addison Johnson, Cumberland High School.
Pictured back row (left to right): Thomas Weber, Marshall High School; Wyatt Roberts, Paris High School; Drew Templeton, Paris High School.
Pictured front row (left to right): Beckett Hild, Mattoon High School; Liam Gibson, Mattoon High School; Addison Montgomery, Windsor High School.
Pictured back row (left to right): James Crispin, Oakland High School; Jonah Tibbs, Cumberland High School; Shayn White, Paris High School; Lincoln Wheeler, Mattoon High School.
Pictured front row (left to right): Laney Walker, St. Anthony High School; Madison Walker, St. Anthony High School; Lyla Beverly, Marshall High School.
Pictured middle row (left to right): Elizabeth Kirkbride, Shelbyville High School; Tessa Bowers, Shelbyville High School; Jonah Tibbs, Cumberland High School; Charity Large, Cumberland-Westfield High School.
Pictured back row (left to right): Larson Burns, Altamont High School; Madix Weddle, Marshall High School.
Pictured front row (left to right): Keenan Svendsen, Paris High School; Max Greenwood, Effingham High School; Ronan Bailey, St. Anthony High School.
Pictured back row (left to right): Michael Wright, St. Anthony High School; Mitchell Blade, Cumberland High School; Lincoln Wheeler, Mattoon High School.
Pictured front row (left to right): Frank Scheidemantel, St. Anthony High School; Ronan Bailey, St. Anthony High School.
Pictured middle row (left to right): Joey Probst, Teutopolis High School; Sean Dunn, Paris High School; Keenan Svendsen, Paris High School; Isaac Fallert, St. Anthony High School.
Pictured back row (left to right): Gavin Buening, Teutopolis High School; Landyn Buening, Teutopolis High School.
Pictured front row (from left to right): Owen Matthews, Mattoon High School; Miles Lycan, Marshall High School; Sam Collins, Effingham High School.
Pictured second row (from left to right): Jacob Weber, Marshall High School; Gatlin Nicholson, Marshall High School; Sean Dunn, Paris High School; Liam Gibson, Mattoon High School; Bryce Griguhn, Marshall High School.
Pictured third row (from left to right): Andrew West, Oakland High School; Oliver Kreke, St. Anthony High School; James Crispin, Oakland High School; Aaron Moss, Pana High School.
Pictured back row (from left to right): Armend Malovski, Paris High School; Toby Holman, Pana High School; Judd Snoke, Shelbyville High School; Madix Weddle, Marshall High School; Bo McFarland, Marshall High School.