St. Monica's Senior High School has secured a return to the 2026 National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) Championship after defeating Presbyterian Senior High School, Bompata, in a tense Ashanti Regional qualifying contest.

The "Munche" girls bounced back from missing out on the national competition two years ago, producing a composed performance to clinch qualification.

St. Monica's entered the final round with a slender one-point advantage after accumulating 46 points at the end of round three.

They held their nerve to finish with 49 points, narrowly defeating Presbyterian SHS, Bompata, who ended the contest with 47 points. Bodwesango SHS finished with one point.

The closely contested encounter was decided in the final stages, with St. Monica's maintaining their slim lead to secure one of the Ashanti Region's coveted places at the national championship.

Despite the narrow defeat, Presbyterian SHS, Bompata, still has an opportunity to qualify for the national competition if it secures one of the available slots reserved for the top 30 highest-performing schools that do not win their qualifying contests.

St. Monica's will now shift focus to preparations for the 2026 NSMQ Championship, where they will compete against some of Ghana's top-performing senior high schools in pursuit of the coveted national title.