J.L. Mann’s robotics team. Photo provided by David Bennett.

Four teams consisting of 23 students from J.L. Mann High School’s robotics program will compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas, beginning April 25.

The competition runs through May 4 and features 11,000 teams from across the globe. J.L. Mann’s teams will compete in divisions of 80 teams over two days, said David Bennett, a J.L. Mann teacher who is also the faculty advisor over the robotics teams.

“Our teams had to win a local event and then the State Championship to qualify for the World Championship,” Bennett said. “Our World Champion teams have a combined 11 tournament wins over the regular season.”

After winning the state championship two years in a row, the @JLMannHigh robotics team is headed to Dallas, Texas to compete in the Vex Robotics World Championship. Teacher David Bennett believes JL Mann has what it takes to clinch the world title! @REC_Foundation pic.twitter.com/4ch7mjqatN

— Greenville County Schools (@gcschools) April 19, 2023

Two of J.L. Mann’s teams were the state champions while the other two were ranked high enough to be invited to the world competition. Once there, if one of the high school’s teams wins its division, that group will compete in a single elimination tournament of the top 10 alliances, with two teams in each alliance, in the 10,000-seat arena.

At the conclusion of the competition, the overall winner will earn the right to be acknowledged as the best in the world, said Bennett.

J.L. Mann’s robotics program consists of 66 students of varied backgrounds and grades. The program also won the state robotics championship in 2022.

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