Sauk Valley’s top speller eliminated at nationals

The first three rounds at the Scripps National Spelling Bee are designed to winnow the field. True to form, more than half the field was eliminated on Tuesday — including the Lee-Ogle-Whiteside Spelling Bee champ.

Merit Namaste-Rose of David L. Rahn Junior High in Mt. Morris was eliminated in the first round.

[ Merit Hope Namaste-Rose of Mt. Morris qualified for nationals ]

She exited when she misspelled “nimiety,” a word that means excess or redundancy.

The first round eventually took out 69 spellers. The second round, in which the competitors were tested on their vocabulary, eliminated another 28. The third round, which again focused on spelling, tripped up another 46.

The quarterfinals and semifinals will be Wednesday. The finals will be 8 p.m. Thursday and will be broadcast on ion.

The event is being held in National Harbor, Maryland at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center just outside of Washington, D.C.