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Wisconsin Player Gives NCAA Stenographer a Surprise Spelling Test

2 minute read

Here’s a March Madness match-up that no one saw coming: Wisconsin vs. NCAA stenographer.

Sophomore Nigel Hayes rattled off some huge words in a playful test against the tournament’s stenographer, tasked with transcribing their press conference Saturday in advance of Wisconsin’s game against Oregon, ESPN reports. Hayes and some teammates curiously chatted with the stenographer about her responsibilities the night before, the Associated Press adds.

“Before I answer that question, I would like to say a few words: cattywampus, onomatopoeia and antidisestablishmentarianism,” Hayes said, according to the stenographer, who spelled the words correctly. “Now, back to your question.”

When asked about his unexpected words, Hayes explained his fascination with the stenographer’s job. “She does an amazing job of typing words, sometimes if words are not in her dictionary, maybe if I say soliloquy right now, she may have to work a little bit harder to type that word,” Hayes said, “or quandary, zephyr, Xylophone, things like that, that make her job really interesting.”

On Saturday night, Hayes tweeted a “job-well-done” to the stenographer.

Read next: Here’s Who Wins March Madness in the Classroom

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