A disappointed but relaxed Luke Eckstein said he did not make the lineup of the final 10 National Geographic Bee contestants Tuesday in Washington, D.C., but planned to enjoy the rest of the competition with his family and tour the nation’s capital before returning home.

Competing in the preliminaries, Luke, 14, a student at St. Aloysius High School who as state champion represented Mississippi in the national bee, admitted to some nerves in the early rounds.

“I had some trouble with the easy questions,” he said. “I’m pretty disappointed, but I’m happy that I won’t have to stress tonight and can go out and enjoy the picnic and games and things they have planned.”

Luke, the son of Col. Jeff and Adrienne Eckstein, was among 54 state and district champs who won trips to the capital to compete in the National Geographic Bee, which has been held annually since 1989.

Finalists competed earlier today with host Alex Trebek for the national championship. The 10, ages 10 to 13, represented Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.