Molokai Robotics Team Wins Historic State Championship

Middle school robotics team from Molokai claims first-ever state title despite significant resource disadvantages.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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A Molokai Robotics team made history by winning the 2026 Hawaii VEX V5 Robotics Competition Regional Championship, the first major championship title for the program. The team, consisting of 7th, 8th and 9th graders, stood out among 20 other Hawaii school, club and home teams competing in the Middle School division. Molokai Robotics' 1037M team won the Robot Skills Championship, a single-robot competition where the robot scores as many points as possible. Two other Molokai teams, 1037C and 1037X, also represented the island in the High School division, with 1037X placing 6th in Robot Skills and 10th in tournament qualifiers.

Why it matters

Molokai Robotics' historic win is a testament to the program's engineering excellence and competitive spirit, especially given the significant resource disadvantages they face compared to other robotics teams across Hawaii. As the only robotics program on the island, Molokai students have limited opportunities to practice and compete against other teams, making their state championship victory all the more impressive.

The details

Molokai Robotics Team 1037M, made up of 7th, 8th and 9th graders, won the 2026 Hawaii VEX V5 Robotics Competition Regional Championship's Robot Skills Championship, a single-robot competition where the robot scores as many points as possible. Two other Molokai teams, 1037C and 1037X, also represented the island in the High School division, with 1037X placing 6th in Robot Skills and 10th in tournament qualifiers. Despite fighting hard in qualification matches, the Molokai teams eventually formed an alliance together for playoffs, making it into the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual tournament champions.

  • The 2026 Hawaii VEX V5 Robotics Competition Regional Championship took place on February 14-15, 2026 at the Hawaii Army National Guard facility in Kapolei.
  • The 2026 FRC Hawaii Regional is scheduled for March 19-22, 2026 at St. Louis High School on Oahu.

The players

Molokai Robotics Team 1037M

A middle school robotics team from Molokai that won the 2026 Hawaii VEX V5 Robotics Competition Regional Championship's Robot Skills Championship, marking the program's first major championship title.

Molokai Robotics Teams 1037C and 1037X

High school robotics teams from Molokai that represented the island in the 2026 Hawaii VEX V5 Robotics Competition Regional Championship, with 1037X placing 6th in Robot Skills and 10th in tournament qualifiers.

Edwin Mendija

The robotics teacher at Molokai Middle and High schools who oversees the Molokai Robotics program.

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What they’re saying

“I'm proud of our kids. I cannot stress enough; we work at a real disadvantage compared to every other program in the state.”

— Edwin Mendija, Robotics Teacher, Molokai Middle and High Schools (themolokaidispatch.com)

“What we won is the single-robot competition, where the robot just scores as many points as possible.”

— Edwin Mendija, Robotics Teacher, Molokai Middle and High Schools (themolokaidispatch.com)

“I think we would be even better if we could get out more often and compete more often.”

— Edwin Mendija, Robotics Teacher, Molokai Middle and High Schools (themolokaidispatch.com)

What’s next

The Molokai Robotics teams are looking forward to the 2026 FRC Hawaii Regional taking place March 19-22 at St. Louis High School on Oahu, where they hope to continue their success.

The takeaway

Molokai Robotics' historic state championship win despite significant resource disadvantages is a testament to the program's dedication, engineering expertise, and competitive spirit. This achievement showcases the incredible potential of students on Molokai and the importance of providing equal access to STEM education opportunities across Hawaii.