PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP) — A seventh-grader at Bennett Middle School in Salisbury has punched his ticket to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Thirteen-year-old Khaled Mohamed won the Eastern Shore Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday by correctly spelling “eulogy.” He beat 50 elementary and middle school students in the first-ever regional spelling bee contested on Maryland’s Lower Shore.

Khaled says he’s “pumped up” about participating in the national competition, which starts May 28 at a convention center near Washington.

He says he practiced spelling for up to 4 hours a day over the past several weeks.

Grace Drehmer was the runner-up. She and Khaled dueled head-to-head for 20 minutes before she slipped up on the word “patel.”

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