Erin Howard, speller 93 and an Alabama eighth grader, used to be the first speller at the Bee. Now, the numbers are more randomized, but spellers used to go by state.
Last year, Erin finished in ninth place, and she tied for seventh place in 2017 and 22nd place in 2016.
This morning, Erin air-typed her way to spelling "gliocyte" correctly. It's a cell of supportive tissue in the brain, spinal cord and ganglia.