Waterloo’s four teams place within top 10 at 2025 ICPC East Central North America contest
Four teams of algorithmic programmers from the University of Waterloo placed within the top 10 at the 2025 ICPC East Central North America (ECNA) contest, held on November 9 at the University of Windsor.
Competing against 86 teams from universities across east central North America, Waterloo’s trios of programmers placed second, third, sixth and ninth at the 2025 ECNA, underscoring the university’s long-standing strength in competitive programming.
All four teams solved 9 of the 12 problems. When teams are tied on number of problems solved, ranking is determined by total elapsed time, with 20 minutes added for each incorrect submission.
Waterloo Black, represented by Kevin Guo (4A CS), Kevin Yang (4A CS) and Kelly Dance (Master’s C&O), finished second with a time of 590 minutes, securing the team’s place at the 2026 ICPC North America Championship.
Waterloo Red, represented by Tarek Zaki (1A CS), Mehrdad Sohrabi (4B CS) and Gunadi Gani (2B CS), finished in third place with a time of 767 minutes. Waterloo White, represented by Paul Chen (2A CS), Arthur Bright (4A CS) and Linh Nguyen (2A CS), placed sixth with a time of 959 minutes. Waterloo Gold, represented by Max Jiang (4A CS), Henry Yi (2B CS) and Arayi Khalatyan (3A CS), finished ninth with a time 1,057 minutes.
2025 ICPC East Central North America contest • Top 10 teams
A dark green check mark indicates the team was first to solve a problem, a light green check mark indicates a correct solution, and a red x indicates an attempted but unsolved problem. Waterloo’s four teams are highlighted in yellow.
L to R: Professor Ondřej Lhoták, Kevin Guo, Kevin Yang, Kelly Dance, Professor Troy Vasiga
The four teams were coached by Cheriton School of Computer Science Professors Troy Vasiga and Ondřej Lhoták.
“We’re extremely proud of all four teams,” said Professor Vasiga. “Their results reflect not only individual skill but also incredible teamwork and preparation. With their second-place win in the East Central North American region contest, Waterloo Black will represent the university at the ICPC North America Championship in 2026.
About the ICPC
The International Collegiate Programming Contest is the oldest, largest and most prestigious university-level algorithmic programming contest in the world. Each year, around 50,000 students from more than 3,000 universities across 111 countries compete in regional contests to qualify for the ICPC World Finals.
Coaches prepare their teams with intense training and instruction in algorithms, programming and problem-solving strategy. During competition, teams of three students share a single computer and work together to solve a set of complex, real-world problems within a five-hour time limit. Success depends on skill, speed and collaboration, with the best teams advancing through a series of regional and national tiered rounds to reach the ICPC World Finals.
Waterloo’s legacy at the ICPC
The University of Waterloo is the only Canadian institution to have won the ICPC World Finals, taking the prized title twice, once in 1994 and again in 1999.
For an insider’s look on the ICPC competitions, please see A passion for programming: An interview with Professor Ondřej Lhoták, who competed as an undergrad on the Waterloo team that won the 1999 ICPC world championship.