Henrico-centric robotics team earns fourth straight trip to world championship

A group of Henrico-area high school students is once again headed to the global stage after qualifying for the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship.

Team 50878X, known as the Geometric Mangos, earned a spot in the national competition (scheduled April 21 to 24 in St. Louis, Missouri) by virtue of its success in the Virginia state championship. This is the fourth consecutive year that the team has qualified for the world championship.

The team is composed of seven 10th-grade students representing six different high schools in Henrico County and the surrounding area, including Henrico High School, Deep Run High School, J.R. Tucker High School, Highland Springs High School, Mills E. Godwin High School, and Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School.

Despite attending different schools, the students have remained committed to working together since forming the team in seventh grade, according to their coach, Vivek Sao. Much of their work has taken place in a garage workshop, where they have spent evenings and weekends designing, building, and refining their robot.

Their sustained collaboration, while balancing academics and extracurricular responsibilities, has helped them develop both advanced technical skills and a strong sense of teamwork, Sao said.

In addition to their competitive success, the Geometric Mangos have emphasized community outreach, with team members regularly mentoring younger students and assisting newer robotics teams, encouraging interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through hands-on learning opportunities.

The team’s efforts this season have been recognized at several high-level competitions. Among the awards it has received this year: honors:

• Judges Award at the New Jersey Institute of Technology Signature Event;
• Design Award at the All Saints competition in Virginia;
• Design Award at the Potomac High School competition in Virginia;
• Amaze Award at the Prince William County “Meta Broken” event;
• Build Award at the Virginia State Championship.

At the world competition, the team will represent Virginia against top teams from all 50 states and more than 40 countries.