Thursday, October 1, 2026
Hewlett High School seniors David Balzac and Ivan Reznikov have been named semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, placing the longtime friends among more than 16,000 students nationwide recognized in the prestigious academic competition.
Balzac and Reznikov, both 17, are among the highest-scoring entrants in New York state and are now eligible to continue in the competition for about 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth around $24 million, which will be awarded next spring. More than 1.2 million juniors at about 20,000 high schools entered the 2027 competition by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Hewlett-Woodmere School District officials said the recognition places Balzac and Reznikov among the nation’s highest-achieving students.
“We are incredibly proud of this outstanding academic achievement and wish David and Ivan continued success as they advance through the National Merit Scholarship competition!” district officials wrote in a statement.
Reznikov said he was proud of the accomplishment, particularly be-cause of the level of competition in New York.
“I know it’s very hard to get semifinals, especially in New York state, because our cutoff is so high,” he said. “So, I’m just proud that our efforts with studying paid off.”
Reznikov added that success on standardized tests is not only about studying, but also about understanding how an individual performs in a testing environment.
“I don’t think it’s just working hard and studying,” he said. “I think a key factor in being successful in all these standardized tests and school in general is knowing how you function when you’re in a testing room and knowing what strategy works best for you personally.”
Reznikov said he and Balzac have spent considerable time studying and have pushed each other academically. The two have known each other since second grade and have followed many of the same academic and extracurricular paths at Hewlett High School.
Both are heavily involved in robotics as members of Team Innovo. Reznikov focuses on programming, including programming the robot’s cameras and enabling it to operate autonomously, while Balzac helps design the robot.
The students recently have competed successfully in robotics and have attended a world championship and an international invitational competition.
Their academic interests also have overlapped. Both have taken the high school’s computer science courses and plan to pursue fields related to computer science in college, with data science also among their interests.
Balzac said the two have challenged each other to continue improving.
“I guess it’s just good that we are always pushing each other to do better,” he said. “Because we’re doing so many similar things, I think that’s been a good thing for both of us.”
Balzac has recorded a 103.6 GPA and scored 1,560 on the SAT. Reznikov has a 104.43 GPA and scored 1,540, including an 800 in math and 740 in English.
Both are taking some of Hewlett’s most challenging courses, including AP Physics, AP Computer Science and advanced calculus, Balzac said.
Outside of robotics, Balzac is involved with the school’s math team, which competes in Mathlympiads, and said he hopes to serve as its president this year.
Reznikov is captain of the swim team and plays goalie for the lacrosse team.
The two are also members of a club focused on mathematical research, where students explore mathematical concepts in depth and develop projects based on their research.
The National Merit Scholarship Program began in 1955 and recognizes students based on their academic abilities, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
To advance from semifinalist to finalist status, students must have an outstanding academic record, receive the endorsement and recommendation of a school official, submit an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm their earlier performance on the qualifying test. Students and school officials also submit detailed scholarship applications covering academic records, school and community activities, leadership, employment, honors and awards.
About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level, with more than 15,000 students expected to become finalists. Finalists will be notified in February, and all National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from that group.
For Balzac and Reznikov, the recognition comes during a busy senior year that includes college applications, demanding coursework and continued robotics competitions.
Both said they are looking forward to completing their applications and continuing to compete in robotics while making the most of their final months at Hewlett.
“Senior year is, obviously, one of the most great and amazing things, but it’s also, like, you gotta have fun,” Reznikov said. “I’m looking forward a lot to having that opportunity.”
