Padua Academy Students Earn Top Honors at Delaware Bridge Design Competition
Delaware Engineering Students Compete Against 42 Teams Statewide
Three teams from Padua Academy in Delaware earned statewide recognition at the DelDOT Delaware Bridge Design Competition 2026, held at Polytech High School. The annual event challenges student teams to design, build, and present functional bridge structures to panels of professional engineers.
What Happened
Competing against 42 teams from across the state, Padua Academy sent three separate squads to the 2026 event. Each team was required to submit a written engineering proposal, produce CAD drawings, physically construct their bridge, and deliver a ten-minute presentation to engineers. Bridges were then load-tested to measure how much weight they could bear relative to their own weight.
The junior squad known as the Arch Angels — Natalie Krevchuck, Eliana Lawrence, Paige Sopirak, and Lydia Roarty — finished third overall, earning a $750 prize for their Tied Arch, or Bowstring, Bridge design. It was the team’s second year entering the competition.
A second Padua group, Team Sparklers, made its third consecutive appearance at the competition. The team — Emily Glowacki, Juliana Mongiovi, Kasey Nwokobia, and Elena Sangemino, all members of the Class of 2026 — has built a reputation at the event for design creativity. In a prior year, the team received a “Most Aesthetically Pleasing Bridge” award for a signature sparkling pink Tied Arch design.
A third Padua squad, The Beam Team, entered the competition for the first time. Made up of underclasswomen Lillian Camp, Isabella Butler, Elise Malmberg, and Francesca Sarko, the group constructed a Deck Arch Truss Bridge and gained hands-on experience competing at the state level for the first time.
By the Numbers
- 42 teams competed statewide at Polytech High School
- 3 Padua Academy teams entered the 2026 competition
- $750 prize awarded to the Arch Angels for their third-place finish
- 2nd year competing for the Arch Angels squad
- 3rd consecutive year at the event for Team Sparklers
Preparation and Process
All three Padua teams began their work in January, logging hours outside of regular school time on research, design, testing, and physical construction. The months-long preparation underscores the competition’s demand for sustained commitment, not just day-of performance.
The engineering process required students to demonstrate both technical competence — through CAD design and structural construction — and communication skills, with the formal presentation component evaluated by working engineers.
Zoom Out
STEM competitions like the DelDOT Bridge Design event are part of a broader national push to build engineering pipelines at the secondary school level. Delaware’s Department of Transportation-sponsored event gives students direct exposure to real-world engineering standards and professional evaluation, offering a preview of collegiate and career-level expectations.
Padua Academy, a Catholic girls’ school in Wilmington, has been expanding its academic programming in recent years. The school is also currently conducting a search for its first-ever president as it prepares for a new chapter in its institutional leadership structure.
What’s Next
With three teams now accumulating multi-year experience at the competition, Padua’s engineering program appears positioned for continued growth. The Beam Team’s first-year participation suggests the school’s pipeline of future competitors is developing. No information was available on whether any Padua teams will advance to additional competitions or events tied to this year’s results.
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