Last weekend, the second major tournament of the 2022-2023, the Tournament of Champions of Extemporaneous Speaking, took place at Northwestern University. 45 extempers made the trip to Evanston, Illinois for the event.
#1 McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ) continued to put together the most dominanting season the circuit has seen in 18 years, winning her fourth major championship by five ranks over #6 Gabriel Bo of Plano West Senior High School (TX). It marks Paltzik’s seventh National Points Race win of the year, tying the record set in last year’s competition by Daniel Kind of Lake Highland Preparatory School (FL).
The victory is Paltzik’s third consecutive major victory, a streak that goes back to winning last year’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) national championship in International Extemp. It puts her in elite company as only four extempers in history have won four or more major titles. She is the first extemper to win the first two legs of the grand slam since Jacqueline Wei of Plano West, who did so during the 2018-2019 season.
The only major title that Paltzik has yet to win is the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) National Championship. If she were to win that, she would become only the second extemper in history to win a career grand slam, something that the circuit has not seen since Kevin Troy of Eagan High School (MN) accomplished the feat in 2005.
While Paltzik took three first place ranks in the final round, the other four first place ranks were dispersed to two other competitors. #5 Phoena Lin of Plano West took two first place ranks and finished third overall, one rank behind teammate Bo. Aidan Marks of Benilde-St. Margaret’s (MN) took the other two available first place ranks and finished fourth, one rank behind Lin.
#3 Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) finished fifth, the only competitor to reach the final round of both TOC competitons this season. And #7 Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA) was the sixth place finisher.
All of the finalists except for Marks have reached three or more National Points Race final rounds this season. Paltzik was making her seventh final round appearance; Peddi was making her sixth; and Bo, Lin, and Burris were making their fourth.
University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC) winner #12 Pierce McDade of the University School (IL) missed out on a chance of a TOC double-up after dropping in semi-finals. Other notables who were eliminated in semi-finals included #2 Theodore Gercken of the College Preparatory School (CA) and #24 Katherine Lee of Plano West.
Northwestern University also awards a sweepstakes trophy to the best performing team at the tournament. This was won by Plano West, who had 25% of the semi-finalists at the event. The Potomac School was second and Phoenix Country Day was third.
Since the Extemp TOC counts as a third tier event, all competitors who reached elimination rounds will receive National Points Race points.
Here are the results of the 2023 Extemp TOC at Northwestern University (Click here for tab sheet):
Champion: McKinley Paltzik (Phoenix County Day School, Arizona)
2nd: Gabriel Bo (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
3rd: Phoena Lin (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
4th: Aidan Marks (Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Minnesota)
5th: Sruti Peddi (BASIS Scottsdale, Arizona)
6th: Taylor Burris (The Potomac School, Virginia)
Semi-Finalists
*Declan Fahey (York Community High School, Illinois)
*Theodore Gercken (The College Preparatory School, California)
*Katherine Lee (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
*Pierce McDade (The University School, Illinois)
*Kaaviya Shenbaharaman (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
*Jakob Zertuche (Jack C. Hays High School, Texas)
Quarter-Finalists
*Anvika Annyapu (Vel Phillips Memorial High School, Wisconsin)
*Devarsh Borah (Edina High School, Minnesota)
*Santiago Malpica Calleja (Vista Ridge High School, Texas)
*Nicholas Dohr (Mullen High School, Colorado)
*Connor Hise (Denver East High School, Colorado)
*Aparna Iyer (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*Kasim Khapra (The Potomac School, Virginia)
*Fiona Macdonald (Denver East High School, Colorado)
*Keerthik Muruganandam (Edina High School, Minnesota)
*Chloe Leng (The Hawken School, Ohio)
*Luke Nichols (Chapel High School – Mt. Pleasant, Texas)
*Navya Raju (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
Extemp Central thanks Northwestern University for putting the results of the tournament online.