Brauntex Bee champion, San Antonio native wins Scripps National Spelling Bee

On June 2, San Antonio native Harini Logan won the Scripps National Spelling Bee following the competition’s first “spell-off”.

Logan, 14, secured her spot at the national competition after winning this year’s Brauntex Bee on March 26, according to a Brauntex press release. She attends the Montessori School of San Antonio and has been training for spelling bees since she was 9 years old.

The local victory marked her second time winning the Brauntex Bee, and Logan has also won the San Antonio Express News Bee twice, according to a press release. All four victories saw her move on to the national competition.

Beginning May 30, 234 students from around the country competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

During the final round of the competition June 2, Logan and Vikram Raju both failed to correctly spell two words in a row between Rounds 13 and 18, according to the release.

The competition held a “spell-off” to determine the winner, a first for the competition that began in 1925.

Each competitor had 90 seconds to spell as many words correctly as possible, and Logan spelled 21 of 26 words correctly, according to the release, six more than Raju.

As the reigning national champion, Logan will be awarded a $50,000 cash prize, the Scripps Cup trophy and more.