Wake County students join North Carolina team for national spelling bee
Kushi Gottimukkala and Sach Akella carried Wake County into the national bee after finishing second and third locally, part of a strong Triangle showing on the North Carolina team.
The road from Wake County to the national stage ran through nearly 40 rounds at Davis Drive Middle School, where two Triangle students finished just behind the local champion and earned spots on North Carolina’s team for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Kushi Gottimukkala, who attends Carnage Middle School in Raleigh, and Sach Akella, who attends Mills Park Middle School in Cary, were among eight North Carolina students selected for the 2026 national competition. Six of those eight came from the Triangle, underscoring how heavily the region shaped this year’s state delegation.
Their trip to Washington, D.C., followed a demanding Wake County district spelling bee in February. Holden Good of Moore Square Magnet Middle School won after nearly 40 rounds over several hours at Davis Drive Middle School, with Gottimukkala finishing second and Akella third. The top three advanced to the Carolina Panthers Regional Spelling Bee presented by Bank of America, the next step on the path to nationals.
The national bee opened a new chapter by returning to Washington for the first time in 15 years. The 2026 competition was held May 26-28 at DAR Constitution Hall, and Scripps said 247 spellers qualified from across the country and around the world. This year’s event marked the 101st anniversary of the national spelling bee, which began in 1925 with nine spellers.
For Wake County, the presence of Gottimukkala and Akella on the state team reflected more than one strong district contest. Carnage Middle School in Raleigh and Mills Park Middle School in Cary both produced students who could survive a long, pressure-packed county bee and then advance beyond it. The result also showed the depth of the Triangle’s spelling culture, with three Wake County Public Schools students among the local standouts and six Triangle competitors on the North Carolina roster.
That concentration matters in a county where academic competition often starts early and moves quickly. In this case, the county bee, the regional bee and the national stage formed a clear pipeline, and Wake County students were right in the middle of it.
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