USCHS Robotics teams excel on international stage
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Upper St. Clair High School’s robotics program achieved unprecedented success this spring as two teams – TeraBridges and BotsBurgh – earned top honors at premier competitions featuring some of the best robotics teams from around the world.
TeraBridges won the overall championship at the Western Edge Premier Event, held May 28-31, 2026, in Long Beach, California. Competing against 88 elite teams, the team earned its first orange banner as Winning Alliance Champion.
“This is the first time a USC Robotics team has won any event and it was on an international stage,” Tracy Smith, USC Robotics coordinator, said.
Competing in the Sea Division, TeraBridges completed 10 qualification matches before being selected by team Phobos from Kazakhstan for the playoff alliance. The alliance went undefeated through four playoff matches to claim the division title. TeraBridges and Phobos then advanced to the event finals against the Sand Division champions, winning both matches to secure the overall Western Edge Premier Event Championship.
TeraBridges also earned the first-place Connect Award in the Sea Division for excellence in STEM partnerships, community outreach and impact.
“We are so proud of our students for their hard work, perseverance, teamwork and heart,” Rich Beitler, TeraBridges coach, said. “It was the perfect way to end an exciting season.”
TeraBridges team members who competed included Luke An, Sam An, Josh Beitler, Matt Beitler, Felix Chen, Ritu Gupta, Rohan Inampudi, Aaron Jiang, Ava Liu and Shreyan Mali.
Meanwhile, BotsBurgh represented Upper St. Clair at the Run for the Robots Premier Event, held May 28-30, 2026, in Lexington, Kentucky. The team was one of only five Pennsylvania teams invited to compete among 72 teams from across the United States and around the world.
After competing in the Man o’ War Division, BotsBurgh earned the division’s third-place Inspire Award, one of the highest honors in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). The award recognizes the team that best embodies the program’s mission and values both on and off the competition field.
“Rather than focusing solely on robot performance, judges look for a ‘complete package’ team,” Shanna Caplan, BotsBurgh coach, said. “Winning this award means BotsBurgh served as a role model team both on and off the competition field.”
The Inspire Award recognizes teams that demonstrate excellence in robot design, engineering and programming while maintaining a comprehensive engineering portfolio and making a meaningful impact through teamwork, leadership and community outreach.
“Our students were able to showcase their skills in robot design, engineering, programming, and community outreach,” Shanna Caplan, BotsBurgh coach, said. “It was a fitting way to celebrate the team's 10th anniversary as an FTC Team.”
BotsBurgh team members include Colby Caplan, Siddharth Kumar, Revanth Kompala, Harish Rajaganapathy, Avik Pandey, Vivek Sattuluri, Saed Mugwaneza, Benjamin Fang, Benard Huang, Josh Mukherjee, James Conner and Lyman Thomson.
The accomplishments of both teams highlight the strength of Upper St. Clair’s robotics program and its commitment to developing future innovators through engineering, collaboration, problem-solving and community engagement.
- USCHS