Mar 21, 2012 - Claremont, Calif. -

The results of the 2011 William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition are in and, despite an increase in the number of competitors, Harvey Mudd College’s scores soared higher than last year.

Palmer Mebane ’12 ranked 13th nationally—out of 4,400 competitors—and was awarded a $1,000 cash prize. Mebane ranked 31st in the 2010 contest.

The HMC team of Mebane, Tum Chaturapruek ’14 and Craig Burkhart  ’12  placed 6th—out of 572 universities—in the competition’s team category. In 2010, HMC ranked 21st out of 546 universities.

“I think the exam was a lot harder this year. That tends to be an advantage for our students, who, in our problem-solving seminar, are taught strategies for good mathematical writing,” said Francis Su, math professor and Putnam Seminar coach. “Communicating a valid solution is just as important as solving the problem.”

Overall, seven HMC students made the Top 100 List and two scored in the Top 200:

Five more students made the Top 500 List: Connor Ahlbach ’13, Emil Guliyev ’13, Samuel Gutekunst ’14, Spencer "Spike" Harris ’14 and Matthew Prince ’13.

“As is often the case, this year HMC was the top scoring undergraduate institution. Having seven HMC students among the top hundred students nationally is truly extraordinary,” said HMC Math Department Chair Andrew Bernoff, who served as a Putnam Seminar coach along with Su. “We are proud of all 44 students who sacrificed their time and energies to represent HMC in this year’s competition.”

Established in 1938, the contest is named after William Lowell Putnam, a Harvard graduate who valued academic competitions. The annual competition, held the first Saturday in December, is open to college students in the United States and Canada. Participants are given a six-hour exam, composed of 12 problems, each worth 10 points.

HMC students first participated in the Putnam competition on Dec. 2, 1961 and, in 1991, the HMC team garnered third place.