Wrestler Has Got the SAT Pinned

Nate Bailey has done what no other student at El Dorado High School has achieved: He earned a perfect score on the SAT.

Bailey, an El Dorado junior, learned this week that he scored 800 on the verbal portion and 800 on the math portion of the Scholastic Assessment Test, a widely used college admissions exam.

“I didn’t think I did quite that well,” Bailey, 17, said. “It never really occurred to me I could get a 1600. It feels good. But I’m still in shock.”

Counselor Dick Seybold, who is the school’s SAT coordinator, said of Bailey’s achievement: “It’s rare. It’s the first time we’ve had one at our school. He certainly has a good understanding of English and mathematics.

“It will certainly be valuable to him in applying to college,” Seybold said.

Principal Joe Quartucci, an educator for 33 years, said he can recall only one other student during his career who aced the national exam.

“It validates that we’re on the right track and that we’re doing things to show that our students have the ability to perform,” Quartucci said. “We’re just really proud of him.”

Kevin Gonzalez, spokesman for the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J., which administers the test, said that, of the 1.8 million students nationwide who took the SAT last year, 545 students earned 1600 scores.

“It’s a significant academic achievement,” Gonzalez said.

Bailey, who graduates next year, said he is interested in physics but has not decided yet what he will study in college--or even which school he will attend. He is considering Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he said, and hopes his SAT score will give him an edge so that he will be accepted.

Bailey, who is one of El Dorado’s top varsity wrestlers and has a B average, said the secret of his test success was “lots and lots of practice.” He has taken the test five times.

“I’ve taken it every year since the seventh grade,” he said. “I normally don’t like to take tests, but I liked the challenge.”

Bailey can call it quits now.

“There’s no way I can increase my score, so there’s no point in trying it again,” he said. “The best part about it is being done with it.”