PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - One Wicomico Middle eighth-grader has just proved herself to be the best speller on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Megan Barrientos won her second consecutive Eastern Shore Regional Spelling Bee title today, with the winning word being "mythopoeic."
The 14-year-old earned her second win in eight rounds at the bee held on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Campus. She is the first back-to-back winner since 2015.
The second-place speller was Jazz Johnson, a fourth-grader from North Salisbury Elementary School.
This year's bee saw students from 43 elementary and middle schools across Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties.
Barrientos won not only the title, but an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C., where she will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May for the second time. She says she thinks her previous experience in the national bee will help her performance this year.
Congratulations to all the spellers who competed today.