The best young spellers in Wisconsin vie for spots in nationals at state finals in Madison on Saturday

March Madness of the spelling bee kind happens in Madison this weekend.

The annual Badger Spelling Bee will feature 54 young spellers from around the state, competing for two spots in the National Spelling Bee near Washington, D.C. at the end of May.

Four students from the La Crosse region qualified for Saturday’s event, during the CESA-4 contest in West Salem last month. Those local students will represent the Wonewoc-Center schools, Blessed Sacrament in La Crosse, and Holmen.

The overall winner of the regional bee was Kynsleigh Woolever of the Wonewoc-Center Middle School. Another Wonewoc speller, Avery Miller, took 4th place at West Salem. Weston Lorentz from Holmen Middle School finished 2nd, and Reese Carrington of Blessed Sacrament in La Crosse placed 3rd.

The top two contestants in the state bee at Madison College will represent Wisconsin in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which marks its 100th anniversary this year. Before this Saturday’s contest, spellers and their families will have a football-style tailgate party in a parking lot at the Badger Bee site.