Emma Sroka, 12, of Auburn was eliminated during the first round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee semifinals on Sunday.
Sroka was one of the top 30 spellers in the semifinals this year after tying for 51st place in the 2019 competition.
The last time someone from New York won the competition was in 1976. Tim Kneale from Onondaga won the championship.
Sroka was eliminated with the word “epiphragm” after contemplating whether there was a g before the m. She will have one more chance to compete next year before she begins high school.
The other girl representing New York is 12-year-old Bhavana Madini from New York City, who tied with Sroka for 51st place in 2019.
11 finalists were chosen to compete after competing virtually this year. Rules were changed after the 2019 competition when 8 winners were declared, making it so 2021 will only have one winner.
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