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Biddeford, Maine

Applied Exercise Science students take home top prize at national Quiz Bowl competition

UNE Applied Exercise Science students gather at a table following their win at the American College of Sports Medicine National Quiz Bowl
Seated (left to right) are ACSM National Quiz Bowl winners Jon Chappel, Kyle Poulin, and Lindsay Rand Smith.

A group of students in the University of New England’s Applied Exercise Science (AES) program recently took home the top prize at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) National Conference annual Quiz Bowl competition.

Jon Chappel, Lindsay Rand Smith, and Kyle Poulin became the first team from New England to claim victory in the national tournament, held in Denver from May 30 to June 2, winning the competition with the correct answer “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,” a condition where the heart muscle becomes thickened and harder to pump blood.

The win follows the team’s regional victory at the New England ACSM conference, held in October 2022 in Providence, Rhode Island. There, the group bested approximately 15 teams from other colleges and universities, for the second time, to advance to the national competition.

For their win in Denver, Chappel, Smith, and Poulin each received a voucher to complete an ACSM certification at no charge.  

“This national win speaks volumes on how well faculty in the Department Exercise and Sport Performance are preparing our students to enter the workforce or get accepted into graduate programs in the allied health field,” remarked Paul Visich, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Exercise and Sport Performance (ESP). “To Jon, Lindsay, and Kyle, thank you for representing the ESP department and the AES program. All of us are very proud of what you have accomplished.”

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.