Baylor Eta Sigma Phi Chapter Won Six Prizes at National Translation Competitions

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WACO, Texas (April 13, 2018) – Baylor University's local chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, the national Classics honorary society, received six national prizes at the 2018 Eta Sigma Phi Maurine Dallas Watkins Sight Translation Contests on Feb 19-23.

"The undergraduate program in classics at Baylor is one of the largest and best programs in the country," said Daniel P. Hanchey, Ph.D., associate professor of Classics at Baylor University. "We teach hundreds of students Latin and Greek at Baylor every semester, and we think they are the best and brightest Classics students in the U.S. Every year our students prove it through the Eta Sigma Phi translation contest. Students from across the country are eligible to participate, but Baylor students have been placing in the top three in a variety of categories for 20 years."

Jamie Wheeler, senior University Scholar from Katy, Texas, won the Lawrence Crowson first place prize in the advanced Greek translation competition against 23 other entries, first place in the Koine Greek competition against 15 others and second place in the advanced Latin competition against 31 others.

"I'm delighted and honored at how the contest turned out, and I congratulate everyone who placed, especially my Baylor classmates," Wheeler said.

Joseph Clarkson, senior University Scholar from Burnet, Texas, won second place in the intermediate Greek translation contest; Hannah Rogers, senior University Scholar from Wolfforth, Texas, received the third-place prize in the Koine Greek competition; and Cynthia Liu, senior University Scholar from Fredericksburg, Virginia, earned third place in the advance Latin competition.

The Eta Sigma Phi society sponsors an annual translation contest for students of Greek and Latin at schools with active chapters, such as the chapter within the department of Classics at Baylor University. The contest has been conducted for more than 60 years and is named in honor of Maureen Dallas Watkins, the American playwright most famous for the play "Chicago." Watkins made a generous donation in support of the contests and the general mission of the society.

The Baylor University Classics department, composed of 12 full-time faculty, is engaged in teaching and research in areas ranging from Homer to the classical texts of Greece and Rome, Early Christian texts and Patristic texts, to the reception of classical authors in the medieval period. The Eta Sigma Phi chapter offers students opportunities for on-campus leadership and early professional networking.
For more information, visit the Department of Classics website.

by Brooke Battersby, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

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