Topeka ? Normally, the All-Kansas Spelling Bee is a winner-take-all affair.

But after a disputed finish Saturday, officials have decided to send two competitors to the national contest in Washington, D.C.

Fourteen-year-old Kent Toland, of Iola, was the first announced winner, beating out Olathe fifth-grader Aishwarya Pastapur. But there was a problem.

Aishwarya, 10, had misspelled “pestle.” Kent got it right and then spelled “trigonometry” for the apparent win.

But Aishwarya’s father, Eshwar Pastapur, protested that his daughter had been given the wrong primary pronunciation of “pestle” (the “t” is silent).

On Monday, The Topeka Capital-Journal, which has hosted the state contest for the last 53 years, appealed to officials at Scripps Howard, sponsor of the national bee. Officials there decided to declare Aishwarya and Kent co-champions, inviting both to the national finals May 31-June 1.