2013 Yale University Invitational: Saffran Nearly Goes Straight One’s to Claim His Second Consecutive National Circuit Title of the Year; Former Champion Harrison Finishes Second

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At last weekend’s Yale Invitational in New Haven, Connecticut, Miles Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) won his second consecutive national circuit tournament of the season with a commanding victory over 2011 Yale champion Chase Harrison of Millburn High School (NJ) and Lily Nellans of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA). Saffran’s margin of victory was eleven ranks in the cumulative tournament and he nearly picket fenced the entire tournament, claiming only one rank below a one all weekend. Saffran went straight 1’s in the final, which featured five judges. Saffran is the first Florida extemper to win at Yale since at least 2001 and he becomes the first extemper in the last thirteen years to win Wake Forest and Yale.

105 extempers competed at Yale, meaning that all elimination round participants have earned an unofficial qualifying leg to the 2014 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University.  Nineteen extempers that were not previously qualified to the next TOC received qualifying legs and one extemper, Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School, becomes the first extemper to earn an unofficial at-large bid to the tournament after breaking at Wake Forest two weeks ago.  Extempers that earned a qualifying leg are in italics.

Here are the full results from the 2013 Yale Invitational Tournament:

Champion: Miles Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
2nd: Chase Harrison (Millburn High School, New Jersey)
3rd: Lily Nellans (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
4th: Vaikunth Balaji (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
5th: Jasper Primack (Newton South High School, Massachusetts)
6th: Jonah Scharf (Lake Braddock Secondary School, Virginia)

Semi-Finalists

*Mark Cohen (Durham Academy, North Carolina)
*Monica Cosica (Montville High School, New Jersey)
*Sophia Deng (Millburn High School, New Jersey)
*Brian Min (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Graham Piro (Iona Preparatory School, New York)
*Jay Sirot (Montville High School, New Jersey)
*Eric Wang (Solon High School, Ohio)
*Noah Wexler (Nova High School, Florida)

Quarter-Finalists

*Thomas Abel (Delbarton High School, New Jersey)
*Cameron Bonnewell (Lake Highland Preparatory School, Florida)
*Justin Cooper (Scarsdale High School, New York)
*Connor Fitzgibbon (Unionville High School, Pennsylvania)
*Anthony Gullo (Chaminade High School, New York)
*Adam Hamilton (The Bronx High School of Science, New York)
*Edric Huang (Stuyvesant High School, New York)
*Darius Hunt (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*Dylan Kennedy (Regis High School, New York)
*Abhishek Kodumugalla (Durham Academy, North Carolina)
*Oscar Larazza (Nova High School, Florida)
*Connor Leech (Durham Academy, North Carolina)
*Xena Itzkowitz (Freehold Township High School, New Jersey)
*Avni Mahagaoker (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*Monica Mishra (The Ursuline School, New York)
*Rahul Nanchahal (Freedom High School, Virginia)
*Cristine Oh (Montville High School, New Jersey)
*Bill Peebles (Cary Academy, North Carolina)
*Mark Rinder (Freehold Township High School, New Jersey)
*Nathaniel Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Sejal Waghray (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*Ryan Ward (Natick High School, Massachusetts)