The NIU Math Department recently held its 20th Annual Math Contest, crowning senior mathematical sciences major Matthew Drury the undisputed champion for the third year in a row.

The contest took place March 23 in DuSable Hall. The winners of the contest won cash prizes of $75, $50 and $25 for first, second and third place finishes, respectively.

“I got a little nervous before the contest,” Drury said. “When I get nervous, I act like old people. I walk a lot and listen to music.”

The contest was limited to full-time NIU students. There were 14 questions on the test and each contestant turned in six out of 11 problems. Freshmen and sophomores had fewer restrictions compared to juniors and seniors. Problems in the exam ranged from high school level to multi-variable calculus and linear algebra.

“Math is the only thing you can study and not actually have to worry about it, because its always there,” Drury said.

First-semester graduate student Andrew Wang came in second place. Wang said he entered the math contest for the experience. This was his first time participating in the contest. The key to success was going into the contest with a good mindset, Wang said.

“It was fun and also a neat challenge to have all these problems that were hard,” Wang said.

The third place award was a split. Michael Konrad, a senior mathematical sciences major, and Corey Noone, a freshman mechanical engineering major, both tied for the award. This was Konrad’s third year in the math contest. The past two years, he came in second place.

The math contest was fun, Konrad said. He never gets nervous because the value of the contest is more important.

Math professors Yoo Pyo Hong and Gleb Sirotkin supervised the contest. Math department faculty and alumni donated money to the math foundation to sponsor the contest.