Heading into the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship, Team 62A — the Wolverines — was an underdog, consisting solely of freshman competitors: Grayden Lichtman ’28, Morgan Litt ’28, Jacob Barr ’28, and Dylan Byrnes ’28.
“I hope … that they stay focused and allow their robot and themselves to perform at their best,” said coach Mr. Reed before the team left for the competition. The tournament, held in Dallas from May 6 to May 14, brought together around 1,000 of the world’s top VEX Robotics teams. The stage was set for an intense, international showdown.
To advance to the next round of the competition, teams were required to win eight out of 10 matches in the preliminary rounds. The Wolverines started strong with a 7–0 streak but faced tough matchups in their final three games, ultimately finishing 7–3 — just shy of qualifying for the next round.
“It was a crazy cool experience,” said Lichtman ’28. “We are very impressed by how we performed this season.”
Lichtman ’28, along with teammates Barr ’28 and Litt ’28, had previously won the middle school VEX Robotics Tournament last year in the middle school division.
When asked about their final standing, Lichtman said, “It’s kinda hard to say. My guess is that we placed around 66th out of the 800 teams that arrived.” Despite not advancing, Team 62A represented Harvard-Westlake impressively, establishing themselves as a standout freshman team on the world stage.
