LDS teen Tia Thomas 'performed well' in National Bible Bee

Tia Thomas, the 14-year-old Mormon girl who competed in the first National Bible Bee this past month, did not place but performed very well, said her dad, Chance Thomas.

"She carried herself with poise and enthusiasm, shared and bolstered her faith in Jesus Christ and had a terrific time. The level of competition at the Bee was far beyond what we had envisioned, so she was not among the finalists," Chance Thomas said.

"The winner in her division was a young man who, among other accomplishments, had memorized the entire book of Acts at one point in his life. His sister, another top finisher, had memorized the entire book of Matthew at one point.... I spoke with most of the winners and they had studied for an average of 1,000 hours in their specific preparations for the Bee. Tia's specific Bee preparations totaled about 150-180 hours, still a significant amount. We just had no idea that the level of competition would be so fierce," he continued.

Mormon Times readers donated $700 toward Tia's travel expenses.