University of Central Florida student Hannah Sage easily won on Monday in the Jeopardy! College Tournament.
The honors mathematics major went against two students from Rochester University and Stanford University, going into Final Jeopardy with $19,000 and winning with $17,000. The final question for Sage was to determine which president had taken the oath of office twice in 14 months. Sage incorrectly answered with Grover Cleveland, with the correct answer as Lyndon Johnson.
“I am incredibly excited to represent UCF on the Jeopardy! College Tournament and I hope I did my fellow Knights proud,” Sage said, representing one of three public universities in the competition. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I couldn’t wait to share it with everyone when it aired.”
Sage prepared for Jeopardy! with the UCF Quiz Bowl team, according to UCF, and traveled around Florida battling other college teams. The National Merit Scholar began her journey with an online test of 50 questions with 10 seconds to type each response. According to UCF, her stellar score allowed her to audition in Atlanta and after passing the second stage, Sage participated in a mock show.
After an interview with producers, Sage was told she would be contacted if selected for a show. Sage received the call and invitation during the final exam period in Fall 2017.
“The honors program has helped me prepare by allowing me to have a great education and diving further in depth on topics that interest me — and helped me grow my passion for learning and trivia,” said Sage to UCF. “LEAD Scholars has taught me about my own leadership style and given me my self-confidence to work toward my goal of being on Jeopardy!”
The semifinal round and two-day final event remain. If sage wins the grand prize, she will put the prize money toward travel and her education.
“I want to go to Italy to see all of the art in person, rather than the tiny photos in my textbooks,” said Sage. “Then I’d probably save a chunk of that for medical school — I want to be a dermatologist.”
The semifinal episode will air the week of April 16 on ABC.