Two weeks ago the 2022-2023 season concluded at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona. More than 400 extempers competed for national titles in United States and International Extemp.
History was made as #1 McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ) captured her third national championship and successfully defended her national championship in International Extemp. Paltzik took six first place ranks in the final round, defeating #5 Phoena Lin of Plano West Senior High School (TX). She is the first extemper to win International Extemp twice.
Lin was trying to return the International Extemp title to Plano West, which last won it in 2021. She trailed Paltzik by one rank going into the final round but capturing three first place ranks in the final round was not enough to overtake the National Points Race leader. Lin’s teammate #4 Gabriel Bo, who returned to the final round after a sixth place finish the year before, placed fourth.
The highest placing non-senior in International Extemp was #12 Rohit Vakkalagadda of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA). Vakkalagadda, who won the California Invitational in February, placed third.
Two other non-seniors rounded out International Extemp, with Siri Ural of Shrewsbury High School (MA) finishing fifth and Stephen Frank of Whitmer High School (OH) finishing sixth.
#20 Jack Ververis of Trinity Prepartory School (FL) placed seventh, missing out on the final round by four ranks.
Paltzik’s victory completes the best season an extemper has had since 2005. She was undefeated at all National Points Race tournaments that she attended, winning nine of them. And since the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin in March 2022 Paltzik won every tournament where she placed in the final round (or top six), establishing a 14-for-14 conversion rate. Paltzik also completed a calendar-year grand slam, last achieved by Kevin Troy of Eagan High School (MN) in 2005, and is the first extemper to win an NCFL and NSDA extemp national title in the same season since Dylan Slinger of Lakeville South High School (MN), who won both in 2011.
In United States Extemp, #8 Kyle Letterer of Plano West, who was the highest non-placing senior in last year’s event, became the second extemper from his school to win the NSDA U.S. Extemp National Championship in the last five years, defeating Faye Zhang of Eastview High School (MN) by 17 ranks. Letterer went into the final round with a five-rank lead and won the final round by ten ranks.
Zhang was a quarter-finalist last year and was trying to become the first Eastview extemper to win U.S. Extemp since James Hohmann, who won in 2005.
Like International Extemp, Plano West had two finalists. Letterer’s teammate #21 Katherine Lee entered the final round in second place but after the final round dropped back to sixth place.
#3 Theodore Gercken of the College Preparatory School (CA), who placed 14th last season, ended his career with a third place finish. It was the seventh time that Gercken reached a National Points Race final round this season, more than any extemper in the country besides Paltzik.
The highest placing non-senior in U.S. Extemp was Meghana Kunapareddy of Tompkins High School (TX). Kunapareddy entered the final round in sixth place and used it to improve their final round placing to fourth.
Nate Watts of Carlsbad High School (CA) was the second California extemper in the final round and placed fifth.
The break into the U.S. Extemp final was close as Srinath Hariharan of Woodbury High School (MN) finished a mere one rank behind Kunapareddy.
Dev Ahuja of Solon High School (OH), who placed fifth last season, also narrowly missed making it back to the final round, ending his run in eighth place.
21 of the top 25 of the National Points Race entered the NSDA National Tournament. Other notable finishes included semi-finalist showings by #13 Aidan Marks of Benilde-St. Margaret’s in International Extemp and #16 Jonathan Tubb of St. Mary’s Hall (TX) in U.S. Extemp; quarter-finalist placings for #9 Pierce McDade of University High School (IL), #15 Isaiah Sohn of Redlands High School (CA), and #25 Nathan Cai of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ) in International Extemp and #2 Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ), #17 Tyler Crivella of Seven Lakes High School (TX), and #19 Siddharth Sudhakar of Nova High School (FL) in United States Extemp; and octa-finalist finishes for #6 Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ), #7 Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA), #14 Charlotte Reitman of the University School (FL), and #22 Nirja Trivedi of Westview High School (CA) in International Extemp and #23 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) in United States Extemp.
International Extemp had more of the top 25 competing, so it will receive the 50 point bonus for National Points Race considerations. This means that Paltzik will receive 300 points for her victory in International Extemp from the overall competition and the final round. Letterer will receive 240 points for doing the same in U.S. Extemp. All competitors who reached outrounds will receive National Points Race points.
All of the non-senior extempers who reached the final and semi-final round earn automatic qualifications to next year’s national tournament. They also earn an automatic qualification to next year’s University of Kentucky TOC. They are indicated in blue in the results listing.
Those returning extempers who reach the quarter-final round also earn a bid leg to the 2024 Extemp TOC at Northwestern University.
Here are the results of the 2023 National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):
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Final standings for the 2022-2023 Extemp Central National Points Race have been released! These results reflect the results of the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament. You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.
