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For the third year in a row, she was in the spelling bee finals. But this year, Ashley Wireman won.
After six rounds, Wireman, 14, an eighth-grader at Edgewood Middle School, defeated Bryce Durgin, 10, an Eisenhower Elementary fifth-grader.
Both students, however, are winners in the respect that each received a $2,500 scholarship.
Wednesday's finals, which were broadcast live on WRSW, proceeded quickly, as both Wireman and Durgin confidently and clearly spelled words like "indissoluble," "fluctuant" and "cosmogenesis."
In the fifth round, Durgin stumbled on "vivacious." Pronouncer Dr. Paulette Sauders, professor of English and journalism at Grace College, gave the word to Wireman, who spelled it correctly.
Wireman then spelled "campanologist" to win the county competition.
She will compete in the district spelling bee in Fort Wayne in March.
Both Wireman, who is in her last year of eligibility to compete, and Durgin, who is in his first year of eligibility, received $2,500 scholarships from the Homer Shoop Foundation. The scholarships will be held in trust for the students until they graduate from high school.
Wireman is the daughter of Sandra and Greg Wireman of Warsaw.
Durgin is the son of Susan and Robert Durgin, Winona Lake.
Mary Ann Irwin, principal of Burket Elementary, was this year's county coordinator. Wednesday's judges were Lindsay Jackson and Elizabeth Reitman of Grace College.
