LISBON — Crestview eighth grader Caitlin Clonch celebrated a day of firsts on Saturday — first time in the Columbiana County Spelling Bee, first win to become champion and first chance to visit Washington, D.C. in May to compete in the national bee.

“It was a really fun experience,” she said.

The 14-year-old daughter of Christopher and Cassandra Clonch correctly spelled “gemini” in the 12th round to become the 2026 Columbiana County Spelling Bee champion, the first from Crestview since 1990.

She had to spell quite a collection of words to get there, too, such as “coptic,” “porcelain,” “cybernetics,” “gallbladder,” “existential,” “preposterous” and “sympathy.”

“I did not study at all,” Caitlin said, but did say she’ll be studying what she can for the national bee.

First runner-up was East Liverpool eighth grader Crystal Colon, 13, daughter of Maybelle Colon, who was competing in the county bee for the first time, along with her brother Doz, a sixth grader. He made it as far as the fifth round before bowing out.

Second runner-up was East Liverpool eighth grader Brandon Armstrong, 13, who actually started the day as an alternate and was able to fill an open East Liverpool spot. This was his second year in the county bee. He’s the son of Matthew and Crystal Armstrong.

Caitlin, Crystal and Brandon battled each other through several rounds, starting in the sixth round. In round seven, both Brandon and Caitlin missed their words, but in round eight, Crystal missed her word, so all three were back to spell in round nine. Brandon missed in round 10, then Crystal missed in round 11, leaving Caitlin on her own in round 12 to correctly spell “gemini.”

All three won plaques. As the champion, Caitlin also wins a one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online, a one-year subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica Online Premium, a one-year subscription to News-O-Matic for her school and an invitation to compete at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., including a six-night stay at the JW Marriott Washington, D.C. for the champion and one parent courtesy of the Columbiana County newspapers Morning Journal, Salem News and The Review.

The county spelling bee was cosponsored by the newspapers and the Columbiana County Educational Service Center.

The WFMJ-TV21 Regional Spelling Bee, which will decide which speller from Mahoning and Trumbull counties will represent the area at the Scripps National Bee, is at 9 a.m. Saturday at Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown.

Caitlin said this was her first time in a spelling bee, not counting the school bee where she was a runner-up. She called it a daunting experience. This will be her first trip to Washington, D.C. and she said she wants to take pictures of the White House.

After the bee, 2025 Columbiana County Spelling Bee Champion Maureen Bone introduced herself and told her she’s going to meet a lot of new people. She also told her she probably should study.

Caitlin is the oldest of four siblings. Her mom and her grandma, Kathy Clark, were both in the audience to cheer her on.

“I was a little bit surprised. She’s a smart kid. Just reveling in the moment,” her mom, Cassandra, said.