Eight New Jersey students are competing this week in the 90th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Shruthika Padhy of Cherry Hill made it to the finals of last year's Scripps National Spelling Bee before misspelling "tyee," a large Chinook salmon.
The now 11-year-old from Cherry Hill is back for a second try Wednesday, one of two returnees among the nine students representing New Jersey in the 90th competition. She tied for 22nd last year.
So too is Julian Connaughton, a 13-year-old from Shohola, Pa., 13, a seventh grader at Delaware Valley Middle School who is sponsored by the Tri-State Spelling Bee Committee in Montague.
In all, 56 spellers are returning for a second time. Another 14 are back for the third time and three for the fourth time. There are 291 contestants in all.
New Jersey's last four-time contestant was Katharine S. Wang of Morristown, who was ousted on the final day in 2015 when she misspelled cinqueciento, a term referring to the 16th century Italian Renaissance.
Any N.J. students make Bee finals?
A sixth grader at Rosa International Middle School, Shruthika plays the flute and piano, swims, runs cross country and considers Indian classical music among her interests.
The others from New Jersey:
-- Ishaan Akula, 10, of Morganville, a fifth grader at Frank Defino Central Elementary School in North Marlboro.
-- Anmol Bhatia, 12, of Green Brook, a sixth grader at Green Brook Middle School.
-- Naomi Castellanos, 11, of North Bergen, a sixth grader at Franklin Elementary School in North Bergen and the winner of the 58th annual Jersey Journal-Hudson County Spelling Bee.
-- Asha Chauhan, 13, of Elmwood Park, an eighth grader at Elmwood Park Memorial Middle School.
-- Alexandria Ciurlino, 13, of Egg Harbor Township, a seventh grader at St. Vincent de Paul Regional School in Mays Landing.
-- Tanay Nandan, 10, of Short Hills, a fourth grader at Hartshorn Elementary School in Short Hills.
-- Christopher Serrao, 11, of Whitehouse Station, a fifth grader at Holland Brook School in Whitehouse Station, whose sister, Danielle, competed last year.
The winner receives an engraved trophy, a $40,000 cash prize, a $2,500 U.S. savings bond, and an Encyclopaedia Britannica reference library. In addition, there are trips to New York City to interviewed on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" and to Hollywood to appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
Wednesday's competition will be aired live online on ESPN3. Thursday's final rounds will be broadcast on ESPN2 during the day and then on ESPN in prime time.
Katharine Close of Spring Lake, a 13-year-old, is the only New Jersey student ever to win the spelling bee. She came in first in 2006 after correctly spelling ursprache, a language reconstructed from later languages.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.