On the last day of the Scripps National Spelling Bee last year, Matthew Evans' family received horrible news. The fifth-grader's grandmother had died in Albuquerque.

That year was Matthew's second time competing in nationals. His family returned to Albuquerque with a sadness forever associated with spelling bees.

On Saturday, Matthew made The Albuquerque Tribune Regional Spelling Bee history by becoming the only speller in the event's 59-year history to win three years in a row.

Matthew Evans looks toward his parents after spelling the final word to win The Albuquerque Tribune Regional Spelling Bee. At Saturday's competition at Sandia Preparatory School, Matthew, a sixth-grader representing the Albuquerque home-school cluster, correctly spelled somatophyte to become champion for his third consecutive year. (Michael J. Gallegos/Tribune)

Once again, he's bound for Washington, D.C., to compete against the nation's best spellers on May 31 and June 1.

"We all didn't feel like doing this (again) last year," Matthew's mother, Helen Evans, said after her son's victory at Sandia Preparatory School's theater. "But by the end of June, he was at it again."

An 11-year-old sixth-grader representing the home-school cluster in Albuquerque, Matthew conquered the word somatophyte to take the regional title. The word describes a plant composed of cells that become differentiated and develop chiefly into adult tissue.

Of the 33 original spellers, 20 had spelled out by the end of the third round. Those 33 represented 20 counties and Albuquerque high school clusters in eastern and northern New Mexico. Counties in the southern and southwestern part of the state compete in surrounding states' competitions.

"It was harder this year than the other two, definitely," Matthew said. "The kids knew the Paideia (study book) well."

The 4,000-word Paideia (pronounced pie-DAY-uh) is used as the basis for the bee's word list. Bee officials took the final three rounds of words from the Merriam-Webster Third New International Dictionary, the 12-pound beast that is home to all the words associated with the regional and national spelling bees.

Christopher Gamez, representing Valencia County, (right) waits for his turn at the mike along with spellers Gabriel Lim of McKinley County (left) and Joey Flores of the Highland cluster. Christopher and Gabriel were two of four finalists to advance to later rounds before being eliminated at The Albuquerque Tribune Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday. (Michael J. Gallegos/Tribune)

For the third year, Matthew carried a Bible verse in his pocket, touching it each time he approached the microphone.

He chose, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," from Philippians 4:13, because he knew this year's bee would be daunting.

He was right. The bee went 21 rounds, the most in more than 15 years of competition.

Even the national bee has gone only from 11 to 15 rounds for several years.

The National Spelling Bee, however many rounds, is Matthew's next challenge.

At the end of the 2005 regional bee, Matthew was determined to win nationals - no matter how many years it would take.

Matthew, a home-schooled student, began his summer by pulling out his word lists from previous regional and national bees. He went online to access additional lists from the national bee Web site.

Seven years of the 4,000-word Paideia, lists of 625 words from regional bees going back to 1991, and a list of 24,000 words consolidated from previous national bees became his companions.

When it was time to leave home for any reason, Matthew asked, "How long will we be gone?"

Rajat Singh, representing Santa Fe County, hides his head as he waits his turn in The Albuquerque Tribune Regional Spelling Bee. At Saturday's competition, Rajat placed second, missing dehiscence, the bursting open of a capsule or pod at maturity. (Michael J. Gallegos/Tribune)

He dragged out word lists, lugging them to the car.

The number of lists "depends on how many errands we have to do," he said. He wants to fill all his time.

Every time his mother and 9-year-old sister, Hannah, got in the car to go to his weekly Rio Grande Enrichment Studies school, piano lessons, church, or basketball practices and games, Matthew studied.

Hannah tries to leave her brother alone. She knows how important spelling is, and how much fun it is to go to Washington, D.C., for the national competition.

At last year's nationals, Matthew missed advancing past the written round by one point.

This year, the family plans to end the bee experience with a trip to Jackson, N.J., to visit Six Flags Great Adventure or to Hershey Park, Pa.

The siblings can be kids there. They can whip around on roller coasters and get splashed on water rides like every other family.

And not one study book will be cracked until they return to Albuquerque in June.

Matthew Evans of Albuquerque, first place: The Tribune Lighthouse Trophy and a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 31 and June 1, 2006, courtesy of The Tribune; a copy of Webster's Third New International Dictionary and its Addenda Section, copyright 2002, courtesy of Merriam-Webster; and the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, a $100 U.S. savings bond, courtesy of Jay Sugarman.

Rajat Singh of Santa Fe, second place: Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition, courtesy of Merriam-Webster.

Gabriel Lim of Gallup, third place, and Christopher Gamez of Los Lunas, fourth place: $20 gift certificate for each to Amazon.com, courtesy of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

All spellers: Copy of the "Superior Person's Book of Words" by Peter Bowler, a carry-on/rolling backpack and T-shirt, courtesy of The Tribune.

Matthew Evans' winning words by rounds

1. electrochemical

2. porpoise

3. recyclable

4. liturgy

5. emaciation

6. vermiculated

7. endostracum

8. dirndl

9. Sarsar

10. sederunt

11. bouquiniste

12. rocaille

13. iliocostalis

14. certiorari

15. risorgimento

16. scagliola

17. epyllion

18. hafiz

19. delicatessen

20. perspicacity

21. somatophyte