Justin Kim of San Jose named 2026 RTX MATHCOUNTS® National Champion

From left: Dr. Damion Dunlap of DoW STEM, Keri Connors of RTX, Monica Manolescu (California team coach), Justin Kim, Tricia Hatley, P.E., F.NSPE of the MATHCOUNTS Board of Directors

Arnav (left) and Justin (right) after Justin wins the Countdown Round.

Massachusetts crowned top state MATHCOUNTS® team

ORLANDO, FL, UNITED STATES, May 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Justin Kim, a 14-year-old eighth grader from San Jose, California solved his way to victory over 223 competitors, becoming the 2026 RTX MATHCOUNTS National Champion following an intense, elite competition at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista this past weekend. As the National Champion, Justin will receive the $20,000 Donald G. Weinert College Scholarship.

Justin squared off against his opponents in the Countdown Round of the 2026 RTX MATHCOUNTS National Competition, in which the top 12 Mathletes in the country competed in head-to-head matchups. He won by answering the question: “To the nearest whole number, what is the absolute difference between the mean and median of a list with 20 copies of 20 and 26 copies of 26?” He calculated the correct answer, three, in just 36 seconds.

Justin also participated in the Countdown Round at the 2025 RTX MATHCOUNTS National Competition but didn’t win, making this his second appearance.

Arnav Vunnam, 13, of Novi, Michigan, was the Countdown Round Runner-Up and won a $7,500 scholarship. The remaining Countdown Round participants were:

• Derrick Chen, an eighth grader from Great Neck, N.Y.
• Sophia Chen, an eighth grader from Carmel, Ind.
• Advait Joshi, an eighth grader from Livingston, N.J.
• Brandon Ni, an eighth grader from Lexington, Mass.
• Shaheem Samsudden, an eighth grader from Plano, Texas
• James Stewart, a seventh grader from Southlake, Texas
• Alexander Svoronos, an eighth grader from New Canaan, Conn.
• Dylan Wang, a seventh grader from Mountain View, Calif.
• Max Wang, a seventh grader from Wellesley, Mass.
• Jonathan Yu, a sixth grader from Reno, Nev.

In the team competition, Massachusetts captured the title of First Place Team. Team members include:
• Yonis Gulleth, an eighth grader from Lexington
• Shlok Mukund, an eighth grader from Lexington
• Brandon Ni, an eighth grader from Lexington
• Max Wang, a seventh grader from Wellesley

The California state team took second place, and the New York state team placed third.

Justin was among 224 competitors from all 50 states as well as U.S. territories and schools that serve the U.S. State and War departments, who traveled to Orlando after earning a spot in the national competition. More than 64,000 students participated in the school, local and state competitions that led to this weekend's event.

Taking place in Orlando, where theme parks celebrate superheroes, the 2026 RTX MATHCOUNTS National Competition spotlighted the power of math with a superhero theme. In MATHCOUNTS, unassuming young heroes fine-tune the incredible science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills they’ll use to advance technology, medicine and more. By elevating them to superhero status, the event emphasized the important role they’ll play in fighting for good in the future.

“Competing at this level takes an incredible amount of preparation, discipline and courage,” said Kristen Chandler, executive director of MATHCOUNTS. “We are so proud to have given Justin and his competitors the superhero treatment and the resources they’ll use to make the world a better place.”

This is the 17th year that RTX has served as title sponsor of the MATHCOUNTS National Competition as part of its global commitment to STEM education.

“These students have demonstrated perseverance, curiosity and problem-solving skills—qualities that not only earned them a place at the National Competition but also point to a promising future,” said Keri Connors, vice president, Global Employee Engagement at RTX. “Congratulations to Justin and to every competitor who rose to the challenge and showcased their talents.”

About MATHCOUNTS Foundation
MATHCOUNTS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides engaging math programs for all students in grades 6-8 in U.S. schools to build confidence and improve attitudes about math and problem solving. Middle school students exist at a critical juncture in which their love for mathematics must be nurtured, or their fear of mathematics must be overcome. For more than 40 years, MATHCOUNTS has provided free, high-quality resources to educators and enriching, extracurricular opportunities to grades 6-8 students. With a new expansion to grades 3-5, MATHCOUNTS programs will inspire even more students and lay a foundation for future success. Materials and information are available at www.mathcounts.org.

About RTX
With more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. With industry-leading capabilities, we advance aviation, engineer integrated defense systems for operational success, and develop next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2025 sales of more than $88 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia

Molly Gormley
MATHCOUNTS
molly@mathcounts.org
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