Ty Korsmo, 13, of Northwood, N.D., fell short Friday in his attempt to repeat as North Dakota spelling champ, finishing third.
He had qualified for this year's state spelling bee in Bismarck by winning his fifth straight Grand Forks County bee last month. This was his final year of eligibility.
Taylor Roehl, 13, of New Leipzig, N.D., won the 2013 state title and will head to Washington, D.C., in late May for the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee. She won after a 10-round battle with second-place finisher Noah Heuchert of St. Thomas, N.D., the Bismarck Tribune reported Saturday.
Roehl's final two words were "abbatial," which means of or relating to an abbey, an abbot or an abbess, and "debenture," a voucher or certificate acknowledging that a debt is owed by the signer.
About 100 contestants started the state bee with a written test Friday morning, with 25 advancing to the spoken rounds.
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Korsmo's sister, Siri, 11, placed second at this year's county bee and also competed in the state event. Her result there was not immediately available, nor was the word that tripped up her brother.
Of nearly 300 young spellers who qualified for last year's national competition, Ty Korsmo was one of 50 who made it through three preliminary rounds to reach the semi-finals.
