Twelve students were named National Merit semifinalists Monday, a drop from over twenty semifinalists in previous years.

The seniors receiving the award are Talia Brenner, Sophia Caldera, Jonathan Chen, Max Goldberg, Arielle Hollies, Bronte Nevins, Lauren Phillips, Ben Stein-Lubrano, Ethan Taswell, Ben Titlebaum, Finn Todd and Lucas Weals.

“I’m honored to receive this award,” Taswell said. “Especially this year because so few Whitman students received it.”

There is no explanation for the decrease in semifinalists, resource counselor Frances Landau said, describing it as a “fluke.”

Richard Montgomery, Blair and Wootton had 34, 32 and 21 semifinalists, respectively.

In order to be named a semifinalist, students must exceed a certain score on the PSAT in their junior year. This year the cut-off score for Maryland was 221, two points lower than last year.

There were approximately 16,000 students named semifinalists across the country, according to the National Merit website. About 15,000 students will be named finalists after they submit applications composed of their academic record, extracurriculars, and other honors. Only about 7,500 will receive National Merit Scholarships. Last year, two Whitman students received scholarships.

“I think it’s important to continue to work hard and move on, especially because this award is based on one test score,” Chen said.