The University mathematics team that competed in the 2006 William Lowell Putnam Mathematics Competition finished ninth out of 402 teams.
The Putnam is a challenging mathematics exam open to all undergraduate students in the United States and Canada. The competition consists of two three-hour sessions, each with six problems, designed to require originality and ingenuity as well as technical competence.
The December competition drew 3,640 students from 508 colleges and universities. Some of the participants from each school also are designated as the school’s team. Thus, the students compete for both individual and team awards.
The WUSTL team consisted of Justin Gilmer, Jon Pinyan and Eric Wofsey and achieved an honorable mention.
Among the 3,640 individual contestants, senior Pinyan ranked 70.5; juniors Wofsey and Gilmer ranked 106.5 and 342.5; and sophomores Huajia Wang and Jeremy Diepenbrock ranked 185.5 and 266, respectively.
In the competitions from 1976-2006, Washington University teams have placed in the Top 10 in 19 of 31 competitions, including 11 Top Five performances.
More recently, the 12th annual Missouri MAA Collegiate Mathematics Competition was held March 29-30 at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo.
About 90 students, making up about 35 teams from colleges and universities across Missouri, competed. Two Washington University teams tied for third place. Team A was comprised of sophomore Alex Cloninger, senior Igor Konfisakhar and Pinyan; Team B featured senior Key-Yong Park, sophomore Jon Swenson and Wang.