Two schools dominate Minnesota's 2022 National Merit scholars list

High schoolers from all over Minnesota have so far collectively earned more than 100 National Merit Scholarships in 2022. Two suburban schools produced a substantial number of this year's recipients.

Wayzata High in Plymouth produced the single largest number of recipients at 15. Ten winners attend Mounds View High in Arden Hills.

Several other metro-area schools also produced a handful of recipients.

Edina and Minnetonka high schools claimed seven and six winners, respectively, and five recipients attend the Blake School in Minneapolis.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. announced the 2022 winners in four batches. The organization announced 15 winners from Minnesota in late April and another 45 in mid-May.

Sixty-six winners were announced June 1 and another batch July 11.

The organization honors students based on standardized test scores and academic achievements. Minnesota students who earned a 218 or higher on the PSAT in 2020 qualified for this year's awards.

Candidates then submitted a scholarship application that included an essay, list of extracurriculars and an endorsement from a teacher or administrator. They also had to maintain a consistently high academic performance and earn an SAT or ACT score on par with that of their PSAT.

The National Merit program estimates about 16,000 students qualified for this year's awards based on their 2020 PSAT scores, representing less than 1% of high school seniors nationwide.

The organization will release its list of 2022 recipients in four batches.

April's announcement included winners backed by companies. Those recipients were awarded either annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year or onetime payments of $2,500 to $5,000.

In May, the organization announced its list of 2,500 Merit Scholars, 45 of them from Minnesota. Each recipient was awarded $2,500.

June's winners were sponsored by colleges and universities they plan on attending. Those students will receive $500 to $2,000 annually for up to four years.

The 66 winners announced in June are:

Academy for Sciences and Agriculture, Vadnais Heights

Errol Mickelson

Andover High

Conor Jolly

Blake School, Minneapolis

Leon Xue
Lillian Liu

Cambridge Christian School

Ciara Morlock

Century High, Rochester

Yang Huang

Champlin Park High

Claire Koch

Chaska High

Alex McKeever
Reilly Melville

Eagan High

Arian Hegenbarth
Nina Mirfakhraie

Eastview High

Isaiah Daizell
Maria Laya Galindez
Cameron Ojala

Eden Prairie High

Amoligha Timma

Edina High

Jack Herzer
Jack McIntyre

Fourth Baptist Christian School, Plymouth

Emily Combs

Heritage Christian Academy, Lakeville

Elijah Koopman
Matthew Stell

Highland Park High, St. Paul

Finn Zwank

Homeschool

Brooklyn Cooper, Delano
Linae Larson, Richfield

Irondale High, New Brighton

Elizabeth VanLoon

John F. Kennedy High, Bloomington

Isaac Stein

John Marshall High, Rochester

Radhika Damie

Math and Science Academy, Woodbury

Chloe Nelson

Mayo High, Rochester

Tanmay Iyer

Minnetonka High

Stanley Gagner
Aida Lengeling
Luke Patefield
Sophie Pederson
Katherine Young

Mounds View High

Connor Chervany
Cameron Dolbow
Austin Gin
Chandan Sankar
Claire Stellmack

North High (St. Paul)

Lucas Haindfield

Orono High

Angelo Fiaturuolo

Park Christian School, Moorhead

Nathan Krause

Park High, Brooklyn Park

Alexander Vanasse

Roosevelt High, Minneapolis

Will Janzen

Roseville Area High

Alicia Hooper

Southwest High, Minneapolis

Luke Legrand

Spectrum High, Elk River

Ella Sontowski

St. Louis Park High

Daniel Shope

St. Michael-Albertville High

Sara DeMattels

St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Marie Schumacher

St. Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights

Padon Kinzley

Tracy High

Kaylee Campbell

Trinity School at River Ridge, Eagan

Daniel Nykamp
Zachary Martin

Twin Cities Academy High

Micaila Marcelle

Two Rivers High, Mendota Heights

Oscar Halverson

Washburn High

Julia Angerman

Wayzata High

Grace Bergeron
Saryu Goduchinta
Amelia Jacobson
Achyuta Kandalam
Ellen Lorentz
Nithya Malisetti
Nathan Moon
Alec Olson
Avi Punjabi