Huntington County 4-H Robotics Team 1501

05/03/2026

What a season it’s been for Huntington County 4-H Robotics, Team 1501!

Starting back in January, our team hit the ground running and never looked back. At our first district event in Mishawaka, we went 17-1, ranked 1st, and brought home the District Event Winner along with the Imagery Award. We followed that up in Lafayette with another strong showing—finishing 15-2, ranking 2nd, earning another Event Win, and receiving the Innovation in Control Award. That momentum carried us to the Indiana State Championship, where we ranked 6th and were honored with the Quality Award.

That hard work earned us a spot at the FIRST World Championship in Houston. While the results weren’t exactly what we were aiming for, the experience was incredibly valuable. Competing against top teams from around the world gave us new perspective, new ideas, and even more motivation heading into next season. One of the biggest highlights was visiting Space Center Houston—a special thank you to the Don Wood Foundation for making that opportunity possible.

We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors, mentors, families, and supporters who made this journey possible. Because of you, our students gained real-world experience, built lasting memories, and came back inspired. We’re already getting to work—diving into offseason training, learning Onshape, and preparing to use the new Alt Mill CNC machine generously donated by Steel Dynamics.

This concludes our 2026 season. Photos from our journey can be viewed here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/teamthrust1501/collections

More will be added as we transition into the offseason, where we continue to teach, learn, and grow our passion for STEM.

Thank you so many countless other sponsors, PHD, Inc., YRG, Inc., MEI Fort Wayne, BioNanomics, The Refinery, Carrier, BAE Systems, Inc., Raytheon, see the whole list here:
http://huntingtonrobotics.org/sponsors/

04/21/2026

This past weekend, Huntington County 4‑H Robotics — Team THRUST 1501 — competed at the Indiana State Championship at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, seeding 6th out of 38 teams from across the state. Although we did not take home the State title, the team delivered a strong performance and advanced deep into the elimination rounds, finishing as semifinalists. Combined with our two earlier District wins, our results earned enough points to qualify for the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas. We also won the Quality Award at State!
https://www.thebluealliance.com/team/1501

On April 27 our students will travel to Houston, TX with their robot to compete, collaborate with teams from around the world, and visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center for an inspiring STEM experience.

If local businesses and individuals are interested in helping these students with travel, lodging, and transportation, please email [email protected] for more information.

All of this is possible because of our amazing sponsors and mentors who spend countless hours working with students who are eager to learn and be part of a team.

FIRST Robotics Competition team from Huntington, Indiana, USA.

03/30/2026

What a fun weekend at the Lafayette District Event. On Friday, our Safety Captain picked up an award for Safety Allstar, an award that is chosen by her peers from other teams.

Team T.H.R.U.S.T. 1501 ranked 2nd out of 36 teams heading into the playoffs with a record of 10-2.

We were picked by the 1st-ranked team, Team 7457 Supurdueper Robotics, to join their alliance along with Team 4580 Conductors, and we were happy to play alongside them in the playoffs.

Alliance #1 went undefeated throughout the playoffs, and we brought home another blue banner this season. We also set the high score record in Indiana in our first finals match.

During the awards segment, Team T.H.R.U.S.T. 1501 was awarded the 2026 Innovation in Controls Award from the Lafayette District Competition. It is an honor to receive this award and also a testament to the hard work of our team preparing for competitions.

We would like to thank all of our amazing sponsors for the support they provide our team, which allows us to be competitive when we show up for competitions.

Next stop: State Championships - April 17-19.