UCF students are headed to the most elite programming competition, the World Finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest, for the 13th time in 14 years. They placed in the top 10 in the North America Championship (NAC), which UCF hosted Memorial Day weekend.
Mechanical engineering master’s student Tyler Marks ’24, mathematical sciences master’s student Andy Phan ’21 ’22MS and computer science undergraduate Sachin Sivakumar, who comprised the team UCF OrElse, placed ninth out of 52 teams at the NAC, earning a coveted spot at the World Finals. Their impressive performance continued UCF’s strong record of success at the elite event and put them ahead of several programming powerhouses, including those from Harvard University, the California Institute of Technology and the University of Texas at Austin.
Overall, more than 1,000 teams from the U.S. and Canada participated in the contest, meaning the UCF team is among the top 1% in North America.
Marks, Phan and Sivakumar will compete against the best international programmers in Baku, Azerbaijan, in late August, marking UCF’s 31st trip to the World Finals.
“To have our UCF student team place in the running for the World Finals is testament to their hard work and dedication, as well as their exceptional coaches and the mentorship they provide,” says Michael Georgiopoulos, dean of the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science.
“This competition represented the cream of the crop in North America, so obviously the competition was tough,” says Ali Orooji, team advisor. “They did very well. They have worked very hard and we are proud of them for making it possible for UCF to be one of the few teams at the World Finals stage. This will give international recognition and publicity to UCF.”
Hosted by the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) for the past five years, the NAC serves not only as a pivotal contest for world finalist hopefuls in North America, but as a vital training ground for its competitors. The North America Programming Camp (NAPC), a three-day event held alongside the competition, brings top-notch trainers to help student programmers practice for the contest, with the opportunity to meet with event sponsors JetBrains, Hudson River Trading, Citadel, Jane Street, Jump Training and the National Security Agency.
At this year’s NAPC, the ICPC Foundation and JetBrains honored UCF and CECS with the Outstanding Contribution Award and a $100,000 grant.
“It is an immense honor for us welcome the most talented teams and coaches in North America, and we look forward to hosting the NAC and NAPC again next year,” Georgiopoulos says. “ICPC has always been an incredible partner, unparalleled in its dedication to advancing excellence in programming, and we are so grateful to have been given this accolade. Their generosity and continued partnership will help us sustain a positive impact on the next generation of programmers.”
Working together and sharing one computer, NAC competitors have five hours to solve 13 brain teasers and logic problems by writing a program to come up with the correct answers. Points are awarded based on the number of problems solved correctly with the least attempts in the fastest amount of time. Extra points are given to the teams who are the first to solve a problem.
The contest not only challenges the students’ ability to solve complex problems and use their technical knowledge, but also their ability to work together effectively, operating under immense pressure.
Team coach Arup Guha says the team’s five-hour performance was filled with ups and downs, including a literal last-minute save that solidified the team’s position in the top 10. The trio correctly completed eight of the 13 problems. He says they were the first team to solve one problem and submitted another solution just one minute before the contest ended.
Coming off of their NAC win, the team will be hard at work as they prepare to face the world’s finest programmers in the fall. Guha says that as two of the students will be out of state, they will practice virtually. Their preparation will include weekly five-hour practice sessions, specialized exercises and a trip to Bucharest, Romania, for a world-finalist training camp.
“Overall, my team and I are excited about our result,” Marks says. “Over the past couple of years, we have invested a lot of time and effort into preparing for these contests and now it has paid off with us qualifying for the 2025 World Finals. Throughout the contest there were several things that went well along with several things that could have gone better. Over the next few months building up to the World Finals contest, we will reflect on these to make sure we put our best foot forward in Azerbaijan.”
