Arendell Parrott Academy placed first at the regional MATHCOUNTS competition held Saturday at South Central High School in Winterville.

Twenty-eight teams competed in Saturday’s event, including 177 student participants, known as “mathletes.”

Several Pitt County schools placed in regional competition, including: A.G. Cox Middle School, eighth place; E.B. Aycock, 11th, C.M. Eppes, 14th; Bethel, 15th; and Wellcome, 21st.

Parrott’s team included: Sam Chen, Hannah Sloan, Joseph Kirollos and Julia Hu. Chen won top honors, placing first among all competitors. Sloan placed third.

Other Parrott students participating were Jack Allen, Joseph Kirollos, John McLawhorn and Joseph John.

Nick Brozowski of A.G. Cox won the 11th place overall individual.

The top four teams will advance to the state competition on March 19. It will be held at the School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.

MATHCOUNTS is a national competitive program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement. Its founding sponsors include the CNA Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The competition is designed for sixth, seventh and eighth graders.