Spellers Share Big Prize as Co

'Sdrucciola.' 'Augenphilologie.' The last two competitors on stage at the Scripps National Spelling Bee fought each other with big words -- one letter at a time -- but in the end, camaraderie was the word of the day as the two teenagers became co-champions.

'It's a dream come true,' Sriram Hathwar, 14, of Painted Post, New York, said.

'I'm even happier that I'm a co-champion,' Ansun Sunjoe, 13, of Fort Worth, Texas, added.

Earlier on Thursday, 'ecribellate' and 'taglioni' were just two of the words that began whittling down the finalists' field in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

A dozen spellers, ranging in age from 11 to 15 and from hometowns from California to Jamaica, advanced to the championship finals. Only one repeat finalist was among the group.

news3blog.blogspot.com contributed to this report.

First published May 29 2014, 5:55 PM