emoryExtempers converged on Atlanta, Georgia last weekend for the Barkley Forum, a fourth tier event in the National Points Race that typically attracts top competitors throughout the South. However, this year it was a Northeast extemper, Christopher Maximos of the Delbarton School (NJ), who blew through the competition and won the tournament title, going straight 1’s across the final round’s panel of five judges. Maximos became the first Northeastern extemper to win the Barkley Forum since Aaron Mattis of Scarsdale High School (NY) won the tournament in 2008.

Maximos was the third place finisher at the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin earlier in the month and his victory was his first at a National Points Race event this season.

While Maximos swept all of the first place ranks in the final, the ranks were less uniform for the other five competitors. Nikolas Kirk of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ), coming off the heels of a victory in international extemp at the James Logan MLK Invitational, was the runner-up, finishing eleven ranks behind Maximos. Saskia Reford of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX) and Jake Pellett of Berkeley Carroll School (NY) tied for third with a total of eighteen ranks, with Reford receiving third place due to a judges’ preference tiebreaker.

The final round was rounded out by Lauren Huttner of Kent Denver School (CO), who placed fifth, and Meghana Vattigunta of Ardrey Kell High School (NC), who finished sixth.

All of the extempers that made it to the semi-final round at the Barkley Forum will receive points in the National Points Race. New standings that encompass the results of Barkley, the MLK Invitational, and the Marshall Speech Spectacular will be released late tomorrow evening.

Here are the results of the 2019 Barkley Forum (Click here for tab sheet):

Champion: Christopher Maximos (The Delbarton School, New Jersey)
2nd: Nikolas Kirk (Brophy College Preparatory, Arizona)
3rd: Saskia Reford (Saint Mary’s Hall, Texas)
4th: Jake Pellett (Berkeley Carroll School, New York)
5th: Lauren Huttner (Kent Denver School, Colorado)
6th: Meghana Vattigunta (Ardrey Kell High School, North Carolina)

Semi-Finalists

*Colton El-Habr (Holy Ghost Preparatory, Pennsylvania)
*Nikitha Kalahasti (Presentation High School, California)
*David Needs (Morristown West High School, Tennessee)
*Krishna Sanaka (The Hawken School, Ohio)
*Brendan Sossoman (Western High School, Florida)
*Jonah Wexler (Nova Senior High School, Florida)

Quarter-Finalists

*Avah Dickinson (NSU University School, Florida)
*Hans Elasri (Oak Grove High School, Mississippi)
*Eli Finkelstein (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Sydney Gold (Isidore Newman School, Louisiana)
*Mark Harris (Greenville Technical Charter High School, South Carolina)
*Laurel Holley (Riverside High School, South Carolina)
*Alexander Jimenez (St. Mary’s Hall, Texas)
*Sinan Kassim (NSU University School, Florida)
*Danny Kind (Lake Highland Preparatory School, Florida)
*Marco Munoz (Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Florida)
*Priyanka Shah (Riverside High School, South Carolina)
*Jude Sims (Oak Grove High School, Mississippi)
*Alissa Vuillier (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)

Extemp Central thanks Emory University for putting the results of the tournament online.