Team PrISUm, a group of ISU students who built a solar car, placed third in the American Solar Challenge cross country road race and won the best mechanical design award.

The team began preparing for the race that took them from Austin, Texas, to St. Paul, Minn. in August 2012. Its car, named Phaeton, was one of eight cars to complete the race, finishing behind teams from the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan.

Ten of the 32 registered teams’ cars competed in the road race after qualifying during a track race. The team left for Texas on July 19 and arrived in St. Paul on July 28.