After back-to-back podium finishes on the world stage, Hephaestus Robotics climbed all the way to the top.
The team of Santa Cruz County high school students won first place in the Ranger Class at the 2026 MATE ROV World Championship on Saturday, June 27, in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, capturing the program’s first world title.
The world championship, held June 25-27 and hosted by the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University and the National Research Council Canada, brought together 86 student underwater robotics teams from 16 countries across multiple competition classes. Hephaestus was among 47 high school teams from 13 countries competing in the Ranger Class.
The championship marks a breakthrough for Hephaestus Robotics, which earned third place at the MATE ROV World Championship in both 2024 and 2025 before returning to the global stage this year after winning the MATE Monterey Bay Regional ROV Competition in April.
“Competing on the world stage against so many talented teams was an unforgettable experience. As the electronics lead, seeing our countless hours of late-night troubleshooting, complex wiring, and system integration culminate in a world title is wildly rewarding,” said Mission Director Sam Imahara of Kirby School.
In St. John’s, Hephaestus Robotics competed in the Marine Institute’s flume tank, a 1.7 million-liter facility designed to simulate ocean currents, as well as the National Research Council Canada wave basin, where teams completed mission tasks in conditions modeled on offshore environments. The team successfully replaced a simulated eDNA sensor, worked to recover an anchor buoy, and deployed an autonomous float designed to hold depth and collect data.
“These many months of continuously fixing issues and dedication led us to finally achieving the full 85 points, something only three out of 47 teams managed to do,” said Float Team Vice President Amber Williams of Pacific Collegiate School. “After watching the float fail at regionals, having everything come together at worlds felt incredible and made all those hours feel like nothing in comparison to the overwhelming relief and joy that washed over us.”
Teams were challenged to map and document cold-water coral ecosystems, deploy and service subsea monitoring technologies, support offshore energy systems, and conduct under-ice data collection. In addition to in-water performance, the competition requires teams to operate as start-up companies, developing technical documentation, managing budgets, presenting marketing displays, and delivering engineering presentations to a panel of industry professionals.
“Rather than simply simulating operations within a controlled pool, our team rose to the challenge of performing real-world ocean protection,” said Elle Williams, a Santa Cruz High student and ROV pilot for the bonus mission. “We deployed a professional sonar tool on our ROV to scan for and identify ghost gear and debris in the harsh marine environment. That was amazing.”
With financial support from IBEW 332, Aptos VFW, family and friends, and fundraising events at Hook & Line restaurant and MJA Vineyards, the 21-student Hephaestus team traveled to the easternmost point of North America for the nine-day competition. Team members represented eight high schools: Pacific Collegiate, Sequoia High, Soquel High, Santa Cruz High, Scotts Valley High, Pajaro Valley High, Sapphire School, and Kirby School.
“Our team brought together students from across Santa Cruz County, including the children of Silicon Valley tech workers, doctors, carpenters, electricians, and farmworkers,” said Tim Sylvester, founder of X Academy and lead mentor. “After nine months of hard work and more than 100 hours of practice in the pool, they truly earned this win. This has been a life-changing experience for the students.”
The Santa Cruz COE X Academy Robotics Clubs are a partnership between the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and nonprofit X Academy. The program gives high school students from across the county hands-on experience in engineering, computer science, teamwork, entrepreneurship, and project management, at no cost to participants.
“This championship is the result of years of student leadership, mentorship, problem-solving, and persistence,” said Dr. Faris Sabbah, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools. “The Hephaestus Robotics Team has shown what is possible when students have access to rigorous, hands-on learning and a community of mentors who believe in them. We are incredibly proud of these students for representing Santa Cruz County on the world stage, and grateful to X Academy for the dedicated mentorship that has allowed this program to thrive.”
In the MATE ROV program, students operate as mock companies, developing technical reports, engineering presentations, budgets, marketing displays, and working ROVs that are evaluated by professionals in science, engineering, education, and marine technology.
Since partnering with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education in 2023, X Academy’s volunteer mentors have engaged more than 200 students from 15 high schools in building underwater robotics. The program operates weekly build sessions in Santa Cruz and Watsonville and supports student teams from across the county.
“This win proves that when you give students a high but achievable goal, combined with high support in the form of caring mentors who create space to iterate, make mistakes, and try again, they are capable of doing amazing things,” said Barbara Meister, executive director of X Academy.
Graduating team members said the experience will shape their next steps in school and career.
“Being a part of the Hephaestus Team taught me to be relentless and to not give up no matter what gets thrown your way,” said Carlos Ortiz-Lopez, a Sequoia High School graduate. “I will use this to help me become an apprentice electrician with the IBEW.”
For Raul Lopez, who will be a freshman at Cal State Monterey Bay majoring in mechatronics, the experience also opened new possibilities.
“This experience taught me how to work within a big team made of smaller teams, an experience I hope to contribute to building a MATE ROV college team at CSUMB,” Lopez said.
To learn more about the Santa Cruz COE X Academy Robotics Clubs, visit cs.santacruzcoe.org/robotics.
Hephaestus Robotics Team Members
Sarah Bost, Santa Cruz High
Daphne Bingham, Pacific Collegiate
Beatrice Campbell, Pacific Collegiate
Sophia Casaletto, Pacific Collegiate
Ian Chen, Pacific Collegiate
Ethan Chuan, Scotts Valley High
Rowan Delander, Sapphire School
Evan Gaylord, Pacific Collegiate
Isaac Guihaire, Santa Cruz High
Sam Imahara, Kirby School
Raul Lopez, Pajaro Valley High
Johnny Mattson, Santa Cruz High
Cristo Melchor, Soquel High
Aditya Menon, Pacific Collegiate
Nico Mora-Shulman, Pacific Collegiate
Carlos Ortiz-Lopez, Sequoia High
Oscar Pasotti-Schoenman, Santa Cruz High
Joaquin Payet, Santa Cruz High
Vikram Sathish, Pacific Collegiate
Julia Tick, Pacific Collegiate
Amber Williams, Pacific Collegiate
Elle Williams, Santa Cruz High