The latest Scripps National Spelling Bee will have a new host for its ESPN telecast: "SportsCenter" anchorman Kevin Negandhi. Negandhi represents the first Indian-American to host the TV portion of the bee.

The latest Scripps National Spelling Bee will have a new host for its ESPN telecast: "SportsCenter� anchorman Kevin Negandhi.

Negandhi represents the first Indian-American to host the TV portion of the bee.

The bee has yielded Indian-American champions for the past eight years and 13 of the past 17 � a run traced to the 1999 victory of Nupur Lala, featured in the documentary �Spellbound.�

When he joined ESPN in 2006, Negandhi became the first Indian-American on-camera personality at a national sports network.

His parents immigrated from Mumbai, and he grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs.

The bee will take place Tuesday through Thursday, with the finals shown at 8 p.m. Thursday on ESPN.