Northwest Arkansas students take two of top three places at state geography bee

Northwest Arkansas students landed eight of 10 spots in the finals of last week's state geography bee.

For the first time since 2014, however, the winner came from somewhere other than Benton or Washington county.

Wesley Bonner, an eighth-grader from Lake Hamilton Junior High School, won the National Geographic State Bee at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway on Friday, according to Julie Hill, state bee coordinator. State champions are invited to the National Geography Bee in Washington, to be held May 20-23.

Wyatt Corbin, an eighth-grader from Haas Hall Academy Bentonville, finished second. Dhruva Rangarathna, a seventh-grader at Bentonville's Lincoln Junior High School, placed third.

Denis Carranza, an eighth-grader at Rogers' Elmwood Middle School and the defending state champ, also was among this year's 10 finalists, according to Hill.

A total of 101 students, including 42 from Benton and Washington counties, qualified for the state bee by winning a geography bee at their respective schools, according to the Arkansas National Geographic Bee website.

Any school in the United States and its territories with students in grades four through eight is eligible to participate in the National Geographic Bee.