Shannon is a puzzle constructor and tournament enthusiast from St. Louis, Missouri. She wanted to create a crossword tournament in the Midwest to showcase the depth and breadth of cruciverbal talent. She's a fan of coffee, burritos, knitting, swimming, and vacations in beautiful places.

Sally is a crossword constructor (for various publications), editor (Lil AVC X), and blogger (Sally's Take on the USAT Crossword). When not crosswording, she enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, playing board games, and snuggling with her cat. Sally has lived in the Midwest since she was eight months old, first in Missouri, and now in the crossword-friendly state of Iowa.  

Christina is a crossword constructor and puzzle editor for the New York Times, currently living in Ames, Iowa. She grew up outside of Duluth, Minnesota, and after living on both coasts, she is happy to be back in the Midwest. She has two young kids, and loves playing games and doing puzzles with them. In her limited free time, she enjoys reading, hiking and cycling. 

Tracy is a puzzle editor for the New York Times and a co-founding editor for Inkubator, a publisher of puzzles by women and nonbinary creators.  Before changing careers in 2020, Tracy spent decades as a managing copy editor at Mathematical Reviews/MathSciNet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she still resides.