Wichita State University MLS Students Clinch Comeback Title in Cell Bowl Competition

The 2025 Cell Bowl has a new champion! 

The winning team of MLS students are from Wichita State University, under the leadership of Katie Baskins, MLS(ASCP)^CM, clinical educator in the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences. The team has a reputation that precedes them as the Second Chance Showdown victors in 2023. But a missed deadline put them on the bench and out of 2024’s competition. 

“It is such a good competition! It is so accessible, the students have great information right at their fingertips [on the CellaVision app],” shares Ms. Baskins. When asked about the future, she was committed: “Generally we have many students in our cohort. My strategy is to be sure we go several players ‘deep’ into the bench. This will be important to defend our title this fall.” 

The competition is a gamified learning process created by YouTuber Medical Lab Lady Gill (aka ASCP member Tiffany Gill, MA, MLS(ASCP)^CM, coordinator of the Medical Laboratory Technology program at the College of Southern Maryland) to help medical laboratory students prepare for the ASCP Board of Certification exams and strengthen their knowledge. (ASCP is the top-tier sponsor and supporter of the Cell Bowl.) 

The Cell Bowl tests the scientific knowledge of MLS and MLT students, competing as university teams, to enhance their knowledge of blood cell morphology. The competition is played on a free smartphone app from CellaVision, which increases participation and decreases barriers to entry for competitors across the U.S. 

The competition is staged in rounds, crowning two victors, the varsity league’s Super Cell Bowl and the junior varsity’s Second Chance Showdown. The Super Cell Bowl winning institution receives a trophy, the ASCP BOC Study Guide and Interactive Practice Exam Bundle, individual participant certificates, as well as recognition on the social media channels of Medical Lab Lady Gill and ASCP.

Inspired by The Great British Baking Show’s low-drama competition style, Ms. Gill created the Cell Bowl for her students at the College of Southern Maryland. She wanted a different, new way to encourage her medical laboratory technician students to engage with the material, create healthy competition, and build community within the program.

Motivated by her own students’ engagement, she shared this fun, accessible competition with educators across ASCP’s membership, which evolved into the Cell Bowl as it is known today. Ms. Gill loves engaging medical laboratory students in learning and also educates through her YouTube channel, Medical Lab Lady Gill. 

Check here for details about the 2026 Cell Bowl.