[Spivak]

The merit metric is just different than you expect it to be. The university wants students who rise to the top of their school.

The state champions all move on to the regional tournament even if 2nd and 3rd place in Illinois are better than 1st place in Ohio.

And I have to say, doing it this way is a fantastic way of breaking the "good school district" rat race when everyone piling on to a few really wealthy schools actually makes it more difficult to get in.