Four teams of programmers from the University of Waterloo competed on October 26, 2019 at the International Collegiate Programming Contest’s East Central North American Regional Competition. Waterloo Gold, consisting of Timothy Li, Wesley Leung and Arash Bigoldi, was the only team to solve all 11 problems within the five-hour time limit, earning them first place.
Waterloo Red, comprised of Thang Pham, Reyno Tilikaynen and Sean Purcell, came in second, finishing 10 problems and solving the most problems first. Robert Cummings, Joakim Blikstad and Jason Yuen of Waterloo Black also solved 10 problems, earning them third place. The fifth-place team, Waterloo White, consisting of Andy Rock, Joey (Yinhan) Yu and Josh (Yesung) Jung, solved eight problems.
Purdue University ranked fourth, while teams from Carnegie Mellon University, University of Toronto, University of Michigan and Case Western Reserve University placed in the top 10. The field included 115 teams from the East Central North America region, which includes universities from across Ontario, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
The top schools now qualify for the North American Championship in Atlanta, February 19–23, 2020, and some teams will then qualify for the World Finals in Moscow on June 21–26, 2020.
“The performance of our Waterloo teams is truly impressive. The skill and teamwork that for Waterloo Gold to finish all 11 problems is outstanding,” said Stephen M. Watt, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics at Waterloo. “All of the top 10 teams performed at a high level, and all Waterloo teams finishing in the top five is something to be proud of. We look forward to seeing these teams advance to the North American finals in Atlanta.”
Coached by Cheriton School of Computer Science Professors Ondřej Lhoták and Troy Vasiga, and sponsored by Jane Street, Waterloo’s teams were selected in preliminary competitions open to students from all faculties earlier in the fall.
Last year’s four teams from Waterloo had their best-ever result at the annual East Central North American regional competition, placing first through fourth. The University of Waterloo is the only Canadian university to ever win the International Collegiate Programming Competition, taking the prized title in 1994 and again in 1999.
The 2019 teams from the University of Waterloo
Waterloo Gold — first place (solving 11 out of 11 problems of which two were solved first)
- Timothy Li
- Wesley Leung
- Arash Bigoldi
L to R: Dr. Ziad Kobti (University of Windsor satellite organizer), Professor Troy Vasiga (University of Waterloo coach), Waterloo Gold team members Timothy (Yi Kuan) Li, Wesley Leung and Arash Mahmoudian, and Professor Ondřej Lhoták (University of Waterloo coach)
Waterloo Red — second place (solving 10 out of 11 problems of which three were solved first)
- Thang Pham
- Reyno Tilikaynen
- Sean Purcell
Waterloo Black — third place (solving 10 out of 11 problems of which two were solved first)
- Robert Cummings
- Joakim Blikstad
- Jason Yuen
Waterloo White — fifth place (solving 8 out of 11 problems)
- Andy Rock
- Joey (Yinhan) Yu
- Josh (Yesung) Jung
2019 ICPC East Central North America Regional Contest • Top 10 teams
Table from ecna19.kattis.com/standings