The William Floyd High School robotics team has earned top honors at a major regional competition, securing a place on the world stage while showcasing the talent of its student engineers.
Team 287, known as “Floyd Robotics,” recently competed in the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics competition at Hofstra University, where they finished second overall and ranked third out of 48 teams representing Long Island, New York City and Chinese Taipei. The team also served as alliance captains, earned Regional Finalist honors and captured the prestigious Industrial Design Award.
Led by advisors Joseph Carpinone, Joseph Brand and Roxanna Casey, along with volunteer mentors from Brookhaven National Laboratory, the team’s strong performance earned them enough points to qualify for the FIRST Championship, scheduled for April 29 through May 2 in Houston, Texas.
The Industrial Design Award, sponsored by General Motors, recognizes teams that demonstrate excellence in engineering design by balancing form, function and visual appeal. It marks the third time Floyd Robotics has received the honor.
This year’s robot, dubbed “Lebot James,” competed in the 2026 FIRST challenge, “REBUILT,” which tasked teams with reimagining past technologies through innovative engineering solutions. As alliance captains, Floyd Robotics partnered with teams from Chinese Taipei and Long Beach, with additional support from Walt Whitman High School.
Team members include Aydan Alqadri, Husam Alzindani, Elijah Baez, Michael Baez, Temarr Burwell, Hamza Cheema, Matthew Davies, Alpha Diallo, Angelo Di Chiara, Berline Francois, Gerard Gawlowski, Gabriel Philip Guillen, Maria Guzman, Bee Indursky, Dylan Jaime, Elizabeth Jenkins, Anna Jenkins, Sarah Mehtab, Jacob Montenegro, Kevin Muy, Carmine Nacchio, Walter Noriega, Carlos Paz, Eric Peralta, William Polovchena, Douglas Smith, Evan Solis, Muhammad Umair, Anthony Umana-Ayala, Bryan Valdez, Ryan Vasquez, Cristobal Velasquez, Melanie Villacis-Lugo, Josh Wildgoose and Samantha Wood.
The team will next compete in Albany before heading to the world championship competition in Texas.