Manhattan - Ali Mohammad ranked 21^st among the 2,954 students in the 2001 Putnam Mathematical Competition. This was the best performance by a student in the Big 12 Conference in the last six years, and it was the best performance ever by a K-Stater. Mohammad hails from Manhattan, and is a senior in mathematics, computer engineering, computer science, and physics. The Putnam is the most prestigious mathematical competition for undergraduates in the United States and Canada.

Trevor Fast, a senior mathematics and statistics major from Wichita, placed in the top 6 percent. Joseph Pingenot, a senior computer engineering, mathematics, and physics major from Manhattan, John Rapalino, a senior mathematics and philosophy major from Parsons, and Jason Tholstrup, a senior computer science and mathematics major from Concordia, all placed in the top third.

K-State's Putnam team finished 79^th in the 2001 Putnam mathematical competition and ranked in the top 24 percent of the 336 teams and 453 colleges in the competition. Our Putnam team finished 12^th overall and first among all public universities in 1996. Seven of K-State's best finishes have come in the last decade, and, during that time, K-State finished first in the Big 12 Conference 4 times. Harvard University won the 2001 Putnam competition.