MACON, Ga. — Mercer University’s Binary Bears programming team recently secured the first-place trophy at the CCSC Southeastern Programming Competition held in conjunction with the 39th annual Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC) Southeastern Conference, which was hosted for the first time on the Mercer University Macon campus.
Mercer competed against 16 teams representing 10 institutions from five states across the region.
Mercer’s top team solved six of the nine problems in a mathematically focused problem set. The team, composed of seniors Troy Kleger, from Norristown, Pennsylvania; Van Nipper, from Social Circle; Ziyan Hirani, from Peachtree City; and Rajwol Chapagain, from Kathmandu, Nepal, utilized the Python programming language and, according to the team’s coach, Dr. Andy D. Digh, “maintained poise and strong synergy throughout the three-hour competition.”
First-place team member Chapagain said the win was a manifestation of several semesters of hard work.
“All of us on team A had been a part of the Binary Bears program since August 2024 or earlier,” he said. “This home turf victory was not just a proud achievement for us; it was also the best way to honor the retirement of our program advisor, Dr. Andy Digh, from the position of CCSC Southeast Programming Contest Director after 22 years of service.”
Mercer’s second team, featuring students Louisa Houser, Kevin Binder, Dylan Salvador and Johnathan Stowers, achieved a strong seventh-place finish overall in solving two of the problems.
Both teams consist of students majoring in computer science or computer engineering.
“The synergy displayed by our top team this year was truly defining,” said Dr. Digh, professor and computer science co-chair. “Their exceptional chemistry and understanding of individual roles allowed them to execute a highly effective strategy.”
Complete standings of the event can be found here.
