Sputum Bowl State Champs! - Crafton Hills College

Publish Date: June 21, 2023

Michael Sheahan, Richard Sevilleno, Alejandra Martinez, Luis Rebollar, Rajendra Pandey, Cristian Garcia, Jasmine Quezada, Cameron Maldonado, Daniel Rojas III.

Photo: Michael Sheahan, Richard Sevilleno, Alejandra Martinez, Luis Rebollar, Rajendra Pandey, Cristian Garcia, Jasmine Quezada, Cameron Maldonado, Daniel Rojas III.

Two teams from Crafton Hills College’s Respiratory Care program won first and second place at the state-level Sputum Bowl competition at the California Society for Respiratory Care’s (CSRC) annual convention on June 21. The two Crafton teams consisted of Richard Sevilleno, Alejandra Martinez, Luis Rebollar, Rajendra Pandey, Cristian Garcia, Jasmine Quezada, and Cameron Maldonado. The teams were led and coached by its program director, Michael Sheahan, and director of clinical education, Daniel Rojas. The students wore commemorative jerseys in honor of Nico Cabalu, their former classmate and teammate who tragically passed away in April after the team won their regional title. 

The two teams placed 1st and 2nd in the regional competition, beating out six other teams including Modesto Junior College, Mt. San Antionio College, and San Joaquin Valley College. 

The Sputum Bowl has been a tradition at the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) Congress since 1978. According to the AARC website, “uniquely ‘RT,’ the Bowl is the number one place to test your respiratory care knowledge against the best of the best in the profession. Nowhere else will you find therapists cheering on teams from across the country as they race to answer questions on everything from aerosol delivery to arcane gas laws.” This event began including a student division in 2004. 

The two teams will now move on to the national competition in Nashville in November 2023.