Athens Area High School
| Athens Area High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | 401 W Frederick St Athens, PA 18810 |
| State |  Pennsylvania
|
| Region | Northeast Pennsylvania |
| Map | |
| Information | |
| Member of SO since | 2003 |
| Teams | 2 |
| Colors | Black, White |
| Feeds from | Harlan Rowe Middle School |
| Results History | |
| Best regional | 1st (2006-2013, 2021-2024) |
| Best state | 3rd (2011) |
| Best nationals | Never qualified |
| Social Media | |
| @Athens-Science-Olympiad-115412906683029 | |
| Website | aasdscioly.org |
Athens Area High School is located in Athens, Pennsylvania, and participates in the Northeast region. They first qualified for the state tournament in 2005 and then proceeded to dominate the region, placing first for eight years straight. They were also the home of one of the most competitive invitationals, the Twin Tiers Invitational.
They are fed by Harlan Rowe Middle School, which broke out in 2019 with their first-ever nationals appearance.
History
Athens' history consists of three distinct eras.
2003 to 2013
While Athens did not have success immediately after first competing in 2003, it did not take long for them to qualify for their first state tournament in 2005. After a very respectable 15th-place finish, they embarked on a dominant run within the Northeast region, winning eight straight regional championships from 2006 to 2013, often with significant point margins. The largest of these margins occurred in 2011, when they defeated Wyoming Area High School by 138 points.
In addition to dominating the Northeast region, Athens was also highly competitive at the state level. They finished in the top 10 every year during their regional reign, peaking with a third-place finish in 2011. Their score of 155 points was only 25 points behind Penncrest High School's 130 points, making it the closest any C Division team from the Northeast region has come to qualifying for the national tournament in the 21st century.
2014 to 2019
In 2014, Athens' win streak came to a sudden end with a sixth-place finish. Although they still performed well at the state tournament that year, finishing 13th, it would be the best the team performed for the rest of the 2010s. In 2015, they missed the state tournament entirely after losing out to Dallas High School by only five points. They would not make another appearance at the state tournament until 2017, which was only possible because three teams above them declined to accept their state bids.
2020 to Present
Early returns in 2020 suggested their fortunes might quickly reverse, with a string of vastly improved performances at invitational tournaments. While they were unfortunately unable to show it at the regional tournament, which was cancelled due to COVID-19, they continued their upward trajectory in 2021 by reclaiming the Northeast regional title, and subsequently finishing ninth at the 2021 Pennsylvania State Tournament.
Since then, their results resemble their peak period of the late 2000s and early 2010s, with four straight regional championships (though generally with much closer margins due to the strength of North Pocono High School). Thus far, they have won 12 Northeast regional titles in total, which is tied with Stroudsburg High School for most all-time in Division C.
Results Table
| Year | North Pocono | Regionals | States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | - | 6th | 15th (402) |
| 2006 | - | 1st | 9th (311) |
| 2007 | - | 1st | 6th |
| 2008 | - | 1st | 9th (330) |
| 2009 | - | 1st | 5th (263) |
| 2010 | - | 1st (96) | 6th (242) |
| 2011 | - | 1st (50) | 3rd (155) |
| 2012 | - | 1st (46) | 5th (190) |
| 2013 | - | 1st (76) | 7th (291) |
| 2014 | - | 6th (192) | 13th (381) |
| 2015 | - | 7th (212) | - |
| 2016 | - | 9th (281) | - |
| 2017 | 10th (214) | 9th (212)* | 33rd (569) |
| 2018 | 16th (373) | 7th (183) | - |
| 2019 | 23rd (466) | 9th (255) | - |
| 2020 | 6th (260) | Cancelled | |
| 2021 | 5th (239) | 1st (57) | 9th (203) |
| 2022 | 7th (204) | 1st (62) | 5th (188) |
| 2023 | 1st (109) | 1st (57) | 5th (226) |
| 2024 | 6th (261) | 1st (55) | 5th (217) |
| 2025 | 2nd (141) | 2nd (63) | 7th (231) |
- *In 2017, the team tied Dallas High School for 8th by points, but lost the medal tiebreaker. They were able to compete in the state tournament due to teams above them declining their spots.