Three-Time Champ Cedarville Racks Up Record Score at the 2007 Solar Splash

At the 2007 ASME Solar Splash in June, Cedarville University won its third Collegiate World Championship title in the last four years, racking up more points than any previous team in the competition's 14-year history.

The Cedarville team, which won four of the Solar Splash's seven events, scored an all-time high of 974 points out of a maximum possible 1,000. The competition, billed as the World Championship of Intercollegiate Solar/Electric Boating, took place in Fayetteville, Ark., and was hosted by the University of Arkansas.

Cedarville University, shown here leading the Endurance event, received more points — 974 out of 1000 — than any team in the competition's history.

The team from Cedarville, Ohio, bested a field of 14 other teams, including a veteran team from Canada, a rookie team from Turkey, and students from a dozen other U.S. universities. Johnson Controls continued as the competition's main sponsor, as it has been for the last three years.

The teams taking part in the Solar Splash earned points in seven different categories, including technical report, visual display, and workmanship, as well as during the "on-the-water" competition events of qualification, solar slalom, sprint, and endurance.

The team placing second overall, last year's champions from the University of Arkansas, scored 895 points, while the third-place team, the first-time entry from Istanbul Technical University, amassed 791 points.

In the Solar Splash's 300-meter sprint event, each team had two or three heats, and the two fastest times were added to arrive at a final score. The entry from the University of Arkansas took top honors during the sprint event, with a fastest time of 24.72 seconds. Second place in the sprint went to the University of South Carolina with a fastest time of 26.94 seconds, edging out Cedarville University even though it had a best time of 26.91 seconds.

The skipper for Istanbul Technical University guides his boat up the course during a sprint heat. Istanbul Technical University finished third place overall in the Solar Splash. This was the first year they had entered the competition.

Cedarville, however, came out on top during the four-hour solar endurance event, with a total distance of 45 laps. The University of Arkansas was close behind with a total of 43.25 laps, and the United States Naval Academy was third with 42 laps. Each lap was measured as 995 meters.

The top three teams in the solar slalom competition were Cedarville University, followed by the University of Arkansas and Istanbul Technical University.

Cedarville also placed first in the technical report competition. Carnegie Mellon University and Middle Tennessee State University followed.

First place for the visual presentation went to Istanbul Technical University, while Cedarville was runner-up and the University of Northern Iowa was third.

In the technical awards area, Canada's Ecole de Technologie Superieure earned the design achievement award. Cedarville won top honors for outstanding system design, with Istanbul Technical University winning for both outstanding solar system design and outstanding electrical system design. Carnegie Mellon won for best hull design, while Middle Tennessee picked up the award for outstanding drive-train design. The University of Arkansas received two awards, for "hottest-looking boat" and for outstanding workmanship. Elizabethtown College won the award for having the most commercially viable hull.

The teams leave the starting line in the Sprint Finals competition. Arkansas (No. 1) beat Cedarville (No. 2) and South Carolina (No. 4).

Team-based awards given this year included California Polytechnic University, Pomona for most improved team; Istanbul Technical University for rookie team with the highest overall score; and Temple University for notable performance by a rookie team. The U.S. Naval Academy and Louisiana State University picked up awards for teamwork and perseverance, respectively. The University of South Carolina and Cal-Poly Pomona both received honors for sportsmanship.

The next Solar Splash will again be held in Fayetteville, Ark., from June 18-22, 2008, with the University of Arkansas and the city of Fayetteville as hosts. The competition is scheduled to be held in Arkansas again in both 2009 and 2010.

To find out more about Solar Splash — past, present and future — and to view more photos from the event, visit www.solarsplash.com.

— Jeffrey Morehouse, ASME Fellow
Organizer, ASME Solar Splash

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