This year’s Tournament of Champions in Extemporaneous Speaking, also known on the circuit as the Extemp TOC, attracted a field of forty-four extempers. The competition was hosted by Northwestern University and had to be held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#9 Cameron Roberts of Jack C. Hays High School (TX) won her second National Points Race event of the season, defeating #6 Ananth Veluvali of Edina High School (MN) by four ranks in the final round. The victory is Roberts’ first major championship and earns her 100 points in the National Points Race. Roberts has reached five National Points Race tournament final rounds this year, the second-most of any extemper in the country.
Veluvali, who already has a major championship, finished runner-up for the third consecutive time in a National Points Race tournament. He has also notched runner-up finishes in the season’s first two majors.
Kevin Li of Ridge High School (NJ) finished third, seven ranks behind Veluvali and eleven behind Roberts.
Fourth place went to Raghav Ramki of Plano East Senior High School (TX), who finished four ranks ahead of Pierce McDade of Normal University School (IL).
#21 Phoena Lin of Plano West Senior High School (TX) was the third ranked extemper to reach the final round. She finished sixth in her second national circuit final of the season.
As with the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC) there were a few notables who did not reach finals. These included #1 Daniel Kind of Lake Highland Preparatory School (FL), who missed the final round by one rank after taking two sixth place ranks in semi-finals. #24 Theodore Gercken of College Preparatory School (CA), the lone California extemper in the field because this year’s TOC clashed with the California state tournament, dropped in quarter-finals. And #14 Olivia Wetzel of Whitmer High School (OH) missed clearing to quarter-finals by one rank.
#16 Mukta Dharmapurikar of Durham Academy (NC) did not attend the tournament to defend her champinship.
The TOC awards a sweepstakes trophy, which was won by Edina High School. Second place went to Plano East and third was taken by Ridge High School.
Since the TOC is a third tier event in the National Points Race, all extempers who reached elimination rounds will receive points. New standings will be released later this week.
All non-senior extempers who cleared to elimination rounds are automatically qualified for next year’s TOC.
Here are the results from the 2022 Tournament of Champions in Extemporaneous Speaking (Click here for tab sheet):
Champion: Cameron Roberts (Jack C. Hays High School, Texas)
2nd: Ananth Veluvali (Edina High School, Minnesota)
3rd: Kevin Li (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
4th: Raghav Ramki (Plano East Senior High School, Texas)
5th: Pierce McDade (Normal University School, Illinois)
6th: Phoena Lin (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
Semi-Finalists
*Nicholas Blauz (Nova Senior High School, Florida)
*Pranav Gorty (Plano East Senior High School, Texas)
*Iesh Gujral (Eden Prairie High School, Minnesota)
*Evelyn Huang (Louis D. Brandeis High School, Texas)
*Daniel Kind (Lake Highland Preparatory School, Florida)
*Emily Lawrence (East Ridge High School, Minnesota)
Quarter-Finalists
*Taylor Burris (The Potomac School, Virginia)
*Amy Cao (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*Caleb Chung (Pine Creek High School, Colorado)
*Melinda Deng (Millburn High School, New Jersey)
*Theodore Gercken (College Preparatory School, California)
*Jack Herzer (Edina High School, Minnesota)
*Krish Kumar (Booker T. Washington High School, Oklahoma)
*Govind Pattathil (Hebron High School, Texas)
*Anirudh Prasanna (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
*Arjun Raman (Westwood High School, Texas)
*Kaaviya Shenbaharaman (Jasper High School, Texas)
*Abigail Woldgebriel (The Potomac School, Virginia)
Team Sweepstakes
Champion: Edina High School (76.5 points)
2nd: Plano East Senior High School (70 points)
3rd: Ridge High School (65.5 points)
Extemp Central thanks Northwestern University for putting the results of the tournament online.