Unionville High School’s Silver Wolves will travel from Chester County to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. this month as the only team to represent the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the inaugural FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) United States Governors Cup.

The Silver Wolves were selected from among 164 PA FTC teams, and the students on the team will participate in the state vs. state competition hosted by Experiential Robotics and The White House Office of Innovation on Feb. 20 and 21 at Constitution Hall. The competition will celebrate the next generation of STEM leaders and showcase how FIRST inspires them to dream big, think boldly and build a better future.

Making the team

The origins of the Silver Wolves team can be traced back to when UHS senior triplets Brendan, Katherine and Robin Connolly were in the 2nd grade. These students and their parents helped create the team. Over the years, the roster expanded to include fellow teammates William Du, Sophie Li, Lincoln Farkas and Madelynn Rose Van Aken.

“As we’ve grown up, each of us has found a balance in filling a role that the team needs and that aligns with what our own passions are,” said Sophie Li. 

That synergy earned the team the top spot at last year’s Pennsylvania FTC Championship, where the team captained the winning alliance and also received the coveted Inspire Award.

Mastering the robot

To prepare for the 2025-26 FIRST Design Challenge, Decode, the Silver Wolves focused on rigorous brainstorming of everything their robot needed to do and every possible way to do it. “It’s tempting to start dreaming up a robot in your head,” said Katherine Connolly. “But, at this stage, it’s important not to rule out any ideas.”

The team then developed prototypes to test their theories before working together to design, code and build their robot by hand. It must operate on its own for the first thirty seconds of the match before a student driver takes the controls for the final two minutes. For the Silver Wolves, it’s not just about performing well. 

“It’s cool that we’re competing with teams from across the country,” Robin Connolly said of competing in the Governors Cup. “We also really like getting a lot of opportunities to compete because every time we compete, we learn new things.”

Meeting the moment

Between Qualifiers and Worlds, the evolution of the team is constant. The students will do everything from making small changes to their driving strategy to total mechanical rebuilds. The Silver Wolves plan to debut the second edition of their robot at the Governors Cup. In FIRST’s signature “Coopertition” model, the team will compete in a preliminary round on Friday, Feb. 20 for their chance at a place in a playoff alliance on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Regardless of whether they walk away Champions of the Governors Cup, Brendan Connolly said that the team has already won. 

“When we started, I saw other teams’ robots and thought they were so mechanically above us,” he said. “I wanted to get to that level. So, I sat down, watched tutorials and taught myself. One of the biggest things I’ve taken away from this is the value of hard work. Robotics has shown me I can do anything if I just dedicate myself.”

As the team heads off to Washington D.C., they carry with them their equipment and the pride of an entire community that has watched them evolve over the years.

“To see the Silver Wolves represent the Commonwealth at the inaugural Governors Cup is a thrill for all of us at UHS, ” said Unionville High School principal Pat Crater. “These students have spent years dreaming big and thinking boldly, and it is an honor to watch their hard work and dedication culminate in a trip to the U.S