Seneca Valley seniors recognized in National Merit Scholarship Program

Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recently announced Seneca Valley seniors Elizabeth B., Adrian W. and Autumn Z. as Semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

As a Semifinalist, Miss Browne, Miss Wrubel and Miss Zacherl will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the next level of the program where these students will have the opportunity to earn a National Merit Scholarship and, ultimately, the Merit Scholar® title.

In addition, Seneca Valley Seniors, Giulia Pologruto, Maddox Grupp and Julian Varlotta have also been named a Commended Student in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. Miss Pologruto, Mr. Grupp and Mr. Varlotta were recognized by the NMSC for their outstanding performance on the qualifying test used for program entry.

“We are proud to recognize our National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Students for the hard work and academic excellence that earned them this distinction,” said Seneca Valley Senior High School Principal, Mr. Bob Ceh. “This honor marks only the beginning of their bright futures, and we look forward to the many contributions they will continue to make, both within our school community and in the broader world they will go on to impact.”

Over 1.3 million juniors in more than 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.