Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., congratulated the Arvada-Clearmont High School students who competed in the world’s largest model rocket contest held this month in Virginia.

The Wyoming team: Tio Winter, Chris Lynde, Matt Prusak, Chas Baumgartner, Brad Wilhelm, Lauden Holmes, Levi Durkin, Anthony Delaney, and Israel Spotted Horse placed 66 out of 100 teams in the "Team America Rocketry Challenge." The team members were tasked with designing, building, and flying a model rocket carrying a raw egg and return it safely to the ground while staying aloft for exactly 45 seconds and reaching an altitude of 800 feet.

"Growing up I remember the space race and the same excitement and anticipation is in the faces and hard work of all the students participating in these competitions," said Enzi, an avid rocket enthusiast.

The contest, a joint effort between Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association of Rocketry sponsored by NASA, the Defense Department, the Civil Air Patrol and 39 AIA member companies, is in its fourth year of competitions.

"Winning isn’t the only benefit from this contest. This experience shows students practical uses for knowledge in the fields of science, physics and mathematics. I look forward to great accomplishments from these students, they’ve already done so much," said Enzi, who attended the rocketry challenge in past years.

The final included about 500 students on teams from schools and community groups. About 7,000 students from 678 teams around the country participated in qualifying rounds. Since the contest started in 2003 about 33,000 students have taken part.

A team from Statesville Christian School in Statesville, N.C. won this year’s challenge on May 20. The winners shared a prize pool of more than $60,000 with other top finishers. The team also won a trip to the Farnborough International Airshow near London in July.