A Scranton-area teen rode a hot streak and some great knowledge to spelling glory.
Fourteen-year-old Sukanya Roy of South Abington Township, Pa., has won the 84th Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Sukanya took the title with the winning word cymotrichous, which means wavy hair.
Sukanya gets more than $40,000 in cash and prizes.
She likes hiking, rock climbing and ice skating and wants to pursue a career in international relations. She is the fourth consecutive Indian-American to win the bee and the ninth in the
last 13 years, a run that began when Nupur Lala captured the crown in 1999 and was later featured in the documentary Spellbound.
A three-time competitor at the bee, Sukanya tied for 12th in 2009 and 20th in 2010.
"I went through the dictionary once or twice," she said, "and I guess some of the words really stuck."
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Twelve-year-old Laura Newcombe of Toronto finished second. She was trying to become the first Canadian to win the bee.
The nationally televised bee lasted more than three hours.
