When it comes to Petrobowl, very few teams have as strong of a reputation as OU. Having won three championships and being the first school to ever win two consecutive years in a row, OU has dominated the annual competition since its beginning in 2002. As the popularity of Petrobowl grew, so did the number of teams from around the world vying to compete. To combat this issue and to transition the contest to a truly global event, SPE Petrobowl introduced six regional qualifiers: Middle East, Asia Pacific, Africa, North America, Europe and South America and Caribbean, the winners of each moving on to the international championship held each year during ATCE.
This year’s North American Qualifier was held on Saturday, April 2 at the University of Texas in Austin with 27 teams from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The North American region is the most competitive, with all Petrobowl champions having come from it. The challenge of the North American bracket is as difficult, if not more, as the final bracket. OU faced off against the University of Houston during the second round and lost. The University of Tulsa would go on to secure the North American title by winning over United Autonomous University of Mexico, last year’s international champions.
Our team may not have advanced to the finals in Dubai, but this team of mostly first-year participants did gain valuable insight to help them grow and become stronger competitors. We are proud of their efforts, and expect to see quite a few wins in their future.