The 2014-15 Player of the Year, and final member of the All-World First Team, is Eric Xu of Virginia’s Western Albemarle High School.

In his first pyramidal, 20/20 format tournament on the high school level, Eric Xu scored 59 PPG while helped WAHS finish tied for fourth with Dorman B at the 2012 University of Virginia’s Cavalier Classic. This tournament included wins against Mid-Atlantic powers like Montgomery Blair, New Kent, and Cave Spring.

Five months later, Western Albemarle won the 2013 NAQT State Championship, over the traditional powerhouses of Virginia quiz bowl, Thomas Jefferson and Maggie Walker. Two months after that, Xu lead his team to a tied for 21st place finish in their first appearance at a national championship.

The next season, there were then three teams from Western Albemarle at the Cavalier Classic, with only Dorman A finishing above Xu & Co. A trip to the 2014 Texas Invitational had Xu finish as one of the two leading scorers with Sam Blizzard on both days of the event. Another Virginia NAQT state championship was followed by a tied for eighth place finish at HSNCT and a second place finish at PACE NSC.

The 2014-15 season has brought Xu continued success, with tournament wins at Maggie Walker’s GSAC, Virginia Tech’s VTACO, and a third straight NAQT State Championship. The Western Albemarle Warriors are now positioned as one of the very best teams in the country, and Xu’s excellence at the game is largely responsible for their role as a national title contender.

Congratulations to Eric, to everyone that was named as part of the All-World Teams, and to everyone that has played this season and will be playing at HSNCT, NSC, and NASAT. I wish everyone the best of luck at nationals this year as well as happy and safe travels to and from the sites. I hope to see as many of you as I can at this year’s NSC.