7 area students set to compete at Scripps National Spelling Bee

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Scripps National Spelling Bee is three weeks away, and ahead of the popular contest, Scripps is making some changes.

It has eliminated its requirement that the tiebreaker, known as a "spell-off," be used when the Bee finals are nearing the end of their two-hour broadcast window, and a champion has not been decided.

Instead, judges will have more discretion to let the Bee play out, even if it runs into overtime.

This year, eight students from North Carolina will be competing. Seven of them are from the Triangle and nearby areas.

• Sach Akella, who attends Mills Park Middle School in Cary.

• Holden Good, who attends Moore Square Magnet Middle School in Raleigh.

• Kushi Gottimukkala, a student at Carnage Magnet Middle School in Raleigh.

• Johannes Roxburgh, who attends Voyager Academy Middle School in Durham.

• Zachary Thurnher, an eighth-grader at Seventy-First Classical Middle School in Fayetteville.

• Antonella Guzman-Vazquez, a seventh-grader at Highland Middle School in Sanford.

• Swayzee Brown, who attends Southside Christian School in Clayton.

Preliminaries for the spelling bee begin May 27.

Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App