Two Central Valley students advance at Scripps National Spelling Bee

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two Central Valley students remain in contention at the Scripps National Spelling Bee after advancing through the opening rounds Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

12-year-old Warren Li of Fresno and 13-year-old Nicole Lopez of Visalia both made it past the preliminaries and are still competing for the national title.

Another Central Valley participant, Akshara Thummala of Merced, was eliminated during the early rounds.

The three-day competition continues on Wednesday with quarterfinal and semifinal rounds before concluding Thursday night.

The last champion from the Central Valley was Ananya Vinay, who won the national title in 2017. Her brother also competed in 2021.