ShoreBots Qualify for FIRST World Championship for First Time in Team History

Pictured: Tempie Stamer, Abby Zodun (Captain), Kate Latham (mentor), Grayson Brown (Co-Captain), Mike Zodun (lead mentor), Bear McCormack, Reid Travis, Damion Geist (mentor), Rodney Walker (founding mentor), Brycen Joseph, Stephanie Zodun (mentor).

The ShoreBots of Northampton High School are headed to the world stage after a historic performance at the FIRST Chesapeake District Championship.

Team 1908 competed April 9–12 at Virginia State University, where the top 54 robotics teams from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. faced off in a series of three-versus-three matches. The ShoreBots finished the qualification rounds with a strong 10-2 record, earning the No. 4 seed overall.

In the playoff rounds, the ShoreBots served as captain of Alliance 3, teaming up with Team 686 Bovine Intervention of Frederick, Maryland, and Team 614 Nighthawks of Alexandria. The alliance won two matches before being eliminated in the double-elimination bracket, finishing fifth overall in the championship.

The performance capped off a standout season for Team 1908, which earned 123 district points at the championship to bring its season total to 251 points. That total secured a sixth-place finish out of 118 teams across the district—high enough to qualify for the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas, scheduled for April 30 through May 2. It marks the first time in the program’s 21-year history that the ShoreBots have advanced to the global competition.

According to Statbotics rankings, the team now sits 169th out of nearly 3,000 teams nationwide and 202nd in the world, placing them in the top six percent globally.

Team mentor Stephanie Zodun said the milestone reflects years of dedication from students, coaches, alumni, and community supporters. The program, founded by Rodney Walker and the late James “Jim” Goldstine, continues to be supported by sponsors including NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Northampton County Public Schools, and several local businesses across the Eastern Shore.