Three Austin squads proved themselves to be elite VEX roboticists this month.

In Vex Robotics competition, teams build robots from a kit of metal and plastic pieces and program it to complete specified tasks.

In the high school division of the Greater Mankato VEX Robotics Competition, the tournament’s champion team was Imperial George of Austin Area Independent Robotics. It also won the Excellence Award for high school teams.

In the middle school competition, the Ellis Engineers 9452B, of Ellis Middle School, upset the top-ranked alliance team  to capture the tournament championship. It also earned the VEX Build Award, which is given to a team with an especially well-crafted robot.

The I.J. Holton Engineers B team earned the Excellence Award, the highest award presented in the VEX Robotics Competition. It is given to a team that exemplifies overall excellence in creating a high-quality VEX Robotics program.

All three teams qualified for the Minnesota State VEX Tournament in February and received invitations to the US Open Robotics Championship in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in April.

Two other Austin squads also did well. The Ellis Engineers 9452A received the Judges Award and I.J. Holton Engineers A also performed well.

Three teams from Southland High School in Adams — the Southland Mechbots, Rebelbots and Stompers — also competed in Mankato.