Sparta robotics team qualifies for 2026 world championship
Sparta. Sparta’s Team 5249 V, known as Velocity, earned a place at the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship after finishing among the top-performing teams at the New Jersey state championships
| 20 Mar 2026 | 03:34
A Sparta High School robotics team is headed to the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship after a standout performance at the New Jersey VEX Robotics State Championships.
Team 5249 V, known as Velocity, earned a berth in the international competition after excelling in match play and in the event’s skills competition, where teams are judged on autonomous programming and driver-controlled scoring.
The five-member team spent five days a week preparing for the season, dedicating long hours to mechanical design and programming to build what coaches described as a highly competitive robot.
Velocity is currently ranked in the top 5% of more than 20,000 middle and high school teams from 50 countries competing this season in the VEX challenge known as Push Back.
Other Sparta teams entered the state championships with strong credentials but were unable to advance.
Team 5249 X, which previously earned the Excellence Award, and Team 5249 S, which received the Design Award earlier in the season, both suffered losses that made it difficult to recover in tournament standings. Teams 5249 A and 5249 J also fell short of qualifying.
Program leaders said the experience still provided important lessons in teamwork, resilience and problem-solving for all participants, even as the season ended in disappointment for several teams.
