The GMU BlimpSquad team took first place in the Defend the Republic competition, held in Eaglebank Arena, George Mason University, in April 2023.

After an autonomous qualifying, we stood as the first team to achieve a full sequence of autonomous ball capturing and autonomous scoring without any human intervention, and we achieved it for 5 times during the final game. The power of autonomy enabled us to win our opponent with 152:0 in the finals at our home court. The final game and the after-competition blimp show were broadcasted by Fox 5 and nbcwashington channel 4.

Dr. Yao and Dr. Shishika will be continuing the competition in future years, which Mason will continue to host.