The semi-finalists have been unveiled at the 2012 NFL National Tournament. The fourteen extempers that remain in United States and International Extemp will be narrowed to six by the end of the day. Semi-finals will feature two minute cross-examination, which will also appear in Friday’s final round.

National Points Race leader Lily Nellans and National Points Race runner-up Isabelle Taft remain in the IX field, as does CFL runner-up Ashesh Rambachan. Matt Rauen of Pennsbury High School in Pennsylvania, coming into the tournament as the fifteenth ranked extemper in the National Points Race, is also still alive as is Abhishek Bhargava of Jackson High School in Ohio, who returns to the semi-final round for the second consecutive year. All of the top ten National Points Race participants in United States Extemp have survived into the semi-final round and joining them is Jason Singh of Green Valley High School in Nevada, this year’s Wake Forest champion and MBA participant. Singh is ranked eleventh in the National Points Race.

While United States Extemp saw major eliminations in octofinals, it was International Extemp’s turn to see some major eliminations after round ten. John Cherian of Bellarmine College Preparatory in California, ranked sixth in the National Points Race, was eliminated, but can still hang his hat on a very impressive year on the national circuit. Allison McKibban of El Dorado High School in Kansas, who was twelfth in the National Points Race and had made a great run at the end of the season by making the finals of the Extemp TOC and CFL Nationals, was also eliminated. Finally, CFL finalist Robert McDonough of Holy Ghost Preparatory in Pennsylvania, who was fourteenth in the National Points Race, saw his title hopes evaporate in quarters.

In a couple of hours we will find out who the remaining six will be for Friday’s final rounds at the 2012 NFL National Tournament. When we find out who they are, we will get them to you here at Extemp Central and are planning on a small analysis for the USX/IX final rounds before the final rounds on Friday.

Each extempers National Points Race rank is listed by their name, with NR meaning that an extemper is not ranked.

International Extemp

(NR) Dylan Adelman (Lakeville South High School, Minnesota)
(39) Abhishek Bhargava (Jackson High School, Ohio)
(NR) Eric Ehizokhale (Ben Davis High School, Indiana)
(T72) Kohinoor Gill (Desert Vista High School, Arizona)
(25) Matt Linn (The University School, Florida)
(NR) Daniel Morgan-Russell (George Washington High School, Colorado)
(1) Lily Nellans (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
(NR) Linda Pei (Manhattan High School, Kansas)
(18) Asheshananda Rambachan (Eastview High School, Minnesota)
(15) Matt Rauen (Pennsbury High School, Pennsylvania)
(T41) Miles I. Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
(34) Abhilash Sandireddy (James Madison Memorial High School, Wisconsin)
(2) Isabelle Taft (Henry W. Grady High School, Georgia)
(NR) Emily Temple-Wood (Downers Grove North High School, Illinois)

United States Extemp

(NR) Christine Y. Cahill (Milton Academy, Massachusetts)
(NR) Richard Clark (Cardinal Mooney High School, Ohio)
(T58) Jake Ethe (Half Hollow Hills East High School, New York)
(8) James Fishback (IB Boyd Anderson High School, Florida)
(NR) Jad Hamdan (Jackson High School, Ohio)
(7) Chase Harrison (Millburn High School, New Jersey)
(40) AK Komanduri (Dominion High School, Virginia)
(4) William McDonald (Brophy College Preparatory, Arizona)
(11) Jason Singh (Green Valley High School, Nevada)
(NR) Debnil Sur (Bellarmine College Preparatory, California)
(33) Matt Tyson (Chanhassen High School, Minnesota)
(NR) Madhu Vijay (Bellarmine College Preparatory, California)
(T58) Alex Wasdahl (Jackson High School, Ohio)
(35) Mike Zhu (Dougherty Valley High School, California)

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