Category: National Circuit Results Page 1 of 13

2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race: New Standings Reflect the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin!

On January 9, 2025

New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted to reflect the results of the 2025 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin. Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

MBA provided a few small changes in the standings but Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) maintains the top spot, now possessing a 98 point leader over MBA winner and fellow Texan Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX).

The next National Points Race event will be in two weeks when James Logan High School in Union City, California hosts its MLK Invitational. It will be a fifth tier event, awarding points to the finalists of International Extemp and United States Extemp.

2025 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin: Haider Wins Convincing Victory over Star-Studded Field

By Logan Scisco

On January 7, 2025

In MBA Coverage, National Circuit Results

Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) in Nashville, Tennessee hosted the season’s first major tournament last weekend, inviting the top 16 extempers in the country for a one of a kind competition. Extempers competed in ten rounds against each other, hitting each other twice.

When the cumulative tournament finished, #10 Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX) emerged as the winner, winning his first National Points Race tournament of the year in three final round appearances. Haider had not earned points since a runner-up finish at Yale at the beginning of the season but made an impact in Nashville, finishing six ranks clear of #1 Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX). Haider took control of the tournament after the fifth round and never relinquished the lead. He is the first Texan to win the title since 2019.

Zhang, who led the tournament after the first round, was a fifth place finisher last season.

NSDA defending national champions #19 Tea Shouldice of Half Hollow Hills East High School (NY) and #6 Anthony Babu of Concord-Carlisle High School (MA) took third and fourth, separated by two ranks. Shouldice briefly led the tournament between rounds two and five. Babu was attempting to win back-to-back National Points Race tournaments as he won the Princeton Classic last month.

#3 Rowan Seipp of A&M Consolidated High School (TX) continued a strong run since November, taking fifth place.

Last year’s National Points Race winner Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) earned his first points of the season, finishing sixth. This was the same placing that Cheng earned at last year’s event.

Haider will receive a big boost in the National Points Race standings for winning MBA, earning 150 points since it is a second tier event. All of the extempers that placed in the top six, the only finishing positions that MBA recognizes, will earn points.

Here are the results of the 2025 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin:

2024 George Mason University Patriot Games: Parmar Captures First National Points Race Title Against Two Ranked Extempers

By Logan Scisco

On January 1, 2025

In National Circuit Results

The last National Points Race tournament that took place the first weekend of December was the George Mason University Patriot Games, held on December 7-8 in Fairfax, Virginia. 66 extempers competed, eleven more than the previous year.

The tournament was won by #13 Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC). Parmar, who was appearing in her second National Points Race final round, defeated #10 Aparna Iyer of Ridge High School (NJ), who was making her third National Points Race final round appearance of the semester, by three ranks. Meredith Vorndran of the Potomac School (VA) tied Iyer for second but lost on a judges preference tiebreaker.

Parmar is the first North Carolina extemper to win the Patriot Games since 2010. That year saw Nathaniel Donahue of Durham Academy win the title.

#7 Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA), a fourth place finisher at the New York City Invitational earlier in the season, finished fourth. Kalir-Starr was four ranks back of Vorndran and two ahead of Eva Chen of Ridge and Shretsa Antil of Ridge, who tied for fifth place. Chen defeated Antil for the position by judges’ preference.

The GMU final round had seven competitors, with seventh going to Anna Benjamin of Cary Academy.

Since the Patriot Games was a fifth tier event, only the top six finalists earned points. Parmar will receive 40 points for her victory.

Here are the results of the 2024 George Mason University Patriot Games (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 Princeton Classic: Babu Captures First National Points Race Title of the Season, Denies a New York Victory

By Logan Scisco

On December 31, 2024

In National Circuit Results

This was the first season that the Princeton Classic, held on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey from December 6-8, was a National Points Race event. A field of 81 extempers attended, mostly drawn from Northeast, although other extempers came from Ohio and Florida.

#16 Anthony Babu of Concord-Carlisle High School (MA) was the highest ranked competitor in the field and the reigning NSDA International Extemp National Champion lived up to the billing, winning the cumulative tournament by four ranks. Babu took four of the five available first place ranks in the final round, defeating Arya Goyal of Scardsale High School (NY). It is Babu’s first National Points Race tournament win of the season and his second final round appearance. He placed second at the New York City Invitational in October.

Unlike the University of Texas-Austin Longhorn Classic, there was more spacing in the placing of competitors at Princeton. John Germak of Regis High School (NY) was third, nine ranks back of Babu and five of Goyal. But seven ranks separated Germak from fourth place finisher Daniela Holden of the Berkeley Carroll School (NY). There was also a four rank gap between Shane Quadras of Regis and Manuela Mejia-Fanjul of the Convent of the Sacred Heart (NY) for fifth place.

Scarsdale High School had the best showing as a team, placing five extempers in elimination rounds.

Princeton was selected as a fourth tier event to begin the season so Babu will receive 70 points for his victory. All competitors who reached the semi-final round will receive points.

Here are the results of the 2024 Princeton Classic (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 University of Texas-Austin Longhorn Classic: Abraham Zhang Keeps Plano West’s Hold on IX Title; Robert Zhang Regains National Points Race Lead with Narrow USX Win

By Logan Scisco

On December 31, 2024

In National Circuit Results

Another sizeable field from the state of Texas, coupled with a few out of state extempers, was drawn to the silver anniversary of the University of Texas at Austin’s Longhorn Classic, which took place from December 6-8 in Austin, Texas. The tournament allowed extempers to double in each category and this year’s tournament was dominated entirely by Texans as no out of state competitor reached a final or semi-final round.

International Extemp was won by an extemper from Plano West Senior High School for the third consecutive year as Abraham Zhang earned a two rank victory over Pranav Gorty of Plano East Senior High School (TX). Arya Gurumukhi of Plano East took third, finishing four ranks behind Zhang and two behind Gorty. Zhang’s victory was powered by earning two of the three available first place ranks in the final round.

The only nationally ranked competitor that made the International Extemp final was #6 Rowan Seipp of A&M Consolidated High School (TX), who was coming off a Glenbrooks second place finish last month. Seipp took sixth place.

Seipp did better in United States Extemp, notching a second place finish by a mere rank behind #3 Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX), who will regain the National Points Race lead after relinquishing it at the Glenbrooks. Zhang earned his third National Points Race victory of the season in final round three appearances in a split final round where winning required a seven rank composite score. Seipp’s title hopes were dashed by a fifth place rank from one of the three final round judges but he was the highest placing extemper across both categories at this year’s tournament.

#17 Lindsey Zhao of Plano Senior High School (TX) took fourth place in U.S. Extemp, placing one rank behind Ishika Kothari of Plano East. In an illustration of how close the final round of U.S. Extemp was, there was only a one rank difference in each placing from Zhang to fifth place finisher Pranav Kothur of Tompkins High School (TX).

Other notable finishers at the Longhorn included #12 Alexandre Morel of Plano West, who was a quarter-finalist in International Extemp, and #21 Joy Hu of the Harker School (CA) and #21 Eric Qian of Plano West, who were a quarter-finalists in United States Extemp.

The Longhorn Classic was a third tier tournament so all extempers who reached elimination rounds will earn points. To avoid double counting, an extemper’s highest finish will be credited to the National Points Race. So, for example, Seipp’s runner-up finish will be logged for 85 points but not his sixth place finish in United States Extemp for 33 points. Abraham Zhang and Robert Zhang will receive 100 points for their wins.

Here are the results of the 2024 University of Texas at Austin Longhorn Classic (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 Glenbrooks: Liu Outduels Seipp for First National Points Race Tournament Win

By Logan Scisco

On December 3, 2024

In National Circuit Results

This year’s Glenbrooks, the first third tier event in the National Points Race, drew a large field of 103 competitors. It was the second-largest gathering of extempers this season for a National Points Race event.

Texas maintained its lock on the Glenbrooks title as #9 Kate Liu of Plano West Senior High School earned a two-rank victory over Rowan Seipp of A&M Consolidated High School (TX). Liu and Seipp took all of the first place ranks from the five judges with Liu winning three and Seipp taking two. This distanced both of them from the rest of the final round, finishing at least ten ranks ahead of everyone else.

Texas had a dominating showing generally as Alexandre Morel of Plano West, last year’s Extemp TOC winner, finished fifth and Lindsey Zhao of Plano Senior High School (TX) took sixth. The state had four additional participants in the semi-finals and quarter-finals, bested only by California, which had one finalist, three semi-finalists, and two quarter-finalists.

The biggest story for the National Points Race was that there will be a new leader when rankings come out later this week. #2 Al Zaidi of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (FL) notched his third National Points Race final round appearance, which was good enough to overtake #1 Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX), who was in the field but did not survive the brutal break to quarter-finals after preliminaries.

17 Ellie Sohn of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) reached her first National Points Race final round of the year, placing two ranks behind Zaidi and taking fourth place.

Other notable finishes included semi-final performances by #4 Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH) and #8 Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA). #16 Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC) made it to quarter-finals before being eliminated.

All of the extempers who broke at the tournament will receive National Points Race points. Liu will receive 100 points for her first National Points Race tournament title.

Here are the results of the 2024 Glenbrooks (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 Florida Blue Key: Stumbauer Wins Floridian Duel with Zaidi

By Logan Scisco

On November 14, 2024

In National Circuit Results

This year’s Florida Blue Key, held on November 1-3 on the campus of the University of Florida, drew a field of 68 extempers. Most attendees were from Florida but extempers from North Carolina, Texas, New York, California, and Ohio made the trip for the second fourth tier tournament in this year’s National Points Race.

Sven Stumbauer of Christopher Columbus High School (FL) won a very divided final round, defeating #6 Al Zaidi of Holy Trinity Episcopal School (FL) by two ranks to claim the title. Stumbauer took one first place rank in finals, as did Zaidi. That made secondary ranks important as Stumbauer took two second place ranks while Zaidi, pulled two third place ranks.

Kate Liu of Plano West Senior High School (TX) was the highest finishing non-Floridian, taking third place. She finished four ranks back of Stumbauer and two of Zaidi, taking the other available first place rank in the final round.

Of the three remaining finalists, #5 Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH) was most notable because of reaching a third National Points Race final round this year, more than any other competitor to this point in the season. Srikanth took sixth, seven ranks back of Shriya Dharmapurikar of Durham Academy (NC) and two back of Rohan Dash of Pine View School (NC).

There were several notable extempers in the field who did not reach the final round. #8 Charlotte Reitman of NSU University School (FL) was defending champion but dropped in quarter-finals. #7 Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA) and #16 Kai Forbach of Durham made it to semi-finals.

Jonah Downs of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) was the winner of the Blue Key Round Robin held before the tournament. Downs defeated Pranav Gorty of Plano East Senior High School (TX) by two ranks after four rounds of competition. Gorty would reach quarter-finals of the general tournament while Downs did not clear out of preliminaries.

This year’s Blue Key was upgraded to fourth tier status so all extempers who reached semi-finals will earn National Points Race points. Stumbauer earns 70 points as the winner. No credit is awarded for the Blue Key Round Robin. New National Points Race standings will be released tomorrow night.

Here are the results of the 2024 Florida Blue Key (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 New York City Invitational: National Champions Shouldice and Babu Split Tournament Championship and the Final Round

By Logan Scisco

On October 24, 2024

In National Circuit Results

63 extempers, mostly from the Northeast, entered the 54th edition of the New York City Invitational last weekend in New York City. The Bronx High School of Science hosted the event.

The tournament ended with a final round clash of defending national champions. Tea Shouldice of Half Hollow Hills High School East (NY), the defending National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) national champion in United States Extemp, defeated the defending NSDA International Extemp champion Anthony Babu of Concord-Carlisle High School (NY) by one rank. Shouldice and Babu each won two first place ranks among the five judge panel in finals and Babu won the final round by one rank. However, due to the tournament’s cumulative nature through preliminary rounds Shouldice was declared the winner.

Al Zaidi of Holy Trinity Episcopal School (FL), a semi-finalist at Yale, placed third. Zaidi finished five ranks back of Shouldice.

The only sophomore in the final round, Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA), also a Yale semi-finalist, finished fourth. Kalir-Starr took the one first place rank in the final round that was not won by Shouldice and Babu, needing it to win a tiebreaker over Aparna Iyer of Ridge High School (NJ). Iyer was in their second National Points Race final of the year after finishing third at Yale.

Kai Forbach of Durham Academy (NC) finished sixth.

The tournament was a fifth tier event in the National Points Race so only those extempers who reached the final round will earn points. Shouldice will earn 40 points for her win. The first National Points Race standings of the season will be posted tomorrow evening.

Here are the results of the 2024 New York City Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 Yale Invitational: Zhang Wins Second Consecutive Title in Another Close Finish

By Logan Scisco

On September 26, 2024

In National Circuit Results

A massive field of 114 extempers gathered for last weekend’s Yale Invitational, the kickoff to the extemporaneous speaking season in New England and the second National Points Race event on the 2024-2025 calendar.

The in-person event had familiar faces as three of the finalists were also in the final round of the online National Speech and Debate Season Opener. Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) notched another national circuit win, winning a tiebreaker over fellow Texan Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School. Zhang and Haider, who entered elimination rounds with six others in first place, ended the tournament with identical composites in the cumulative tournament that counts ranks from preliminary rounds through the final round. The tie was broken by final round performance, which Zhang won by two ranks. That happened despite Haider capturing two first place ranks among the five final round judges, making him the only finalist to win multiple first place ranks. Zhang follows in the footsteps of Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ), who won the first two National Points Race tournaments last year.

One rank behind Zhang and Haider was Aparna Iyer of Ridge High School, who came close to delivering the school its second Yale championship in as many years. And two more ranks behind was Charlotte Reitman of NSU University School (FL). Reitman won two National Points Race events last year at the Florida Blue Key and the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC).

Anish Mehta of Scarsdale High School (NY) and Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH) finished much further back of Zhang by 17 and 22 ranks, respectively. Srikanth was making a second National Points Race final round this season after coming within one rank of defeating Zhang at the Season Opener.

Tea Shouldice of Half Hollow Hills East High School (NY), the defending National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Champion in United States Extemp, started her season off with a semi-final finish.

Scarsdale High School the best showing among schools in attendance, placing six extempers in the elimination rounds.

Since Yale was a fourth tier event all of the extempers who reached finals and semi-finals will earn points. The first National Points Race standings will be released after the New York City Invitational in a few weeks, thereby giving the initial release more data.

2024 National Speech and Debate Season Opener Hosted by the University of Kentucky: Zhang Claims First Victory of the New Season, Third Judge Denies Srikanth Victory

By Logan Scisco

On September 12, 2024

In National Circuit Results

The 2024-2025 national circuit season started virtually last weekend with the National Speech and Debate Season Opener hosted by the University of Kentucky. 56 extempers were part of this year’s tournament, substantially more than the last few editions since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event’s online nature allowed extempers from across the country to participate in the first National Points Race event of the year. And three extempers from the final top 25 made the final round. Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX), who finished eighth in the standings last season, won the tournament, defeating Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH) by two ranks. Srikanth took two of the three available first place ranks in the final round but was undone by a sixth place rank from the other judge. That resulted in a composite score of eight, which Zhang overcame with second place ranks from all three judges.

Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX), the winner of a National Points Race event last season and the sixth place finisher in the National Points Race, notched a third place finish. Haider finished four ranks behind Zhang’s winning score.

Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC) was the other extemper from last year’s top 25 in the final round. Parmer finished twenty-first in last year’s National Points Race and ended the Season Opener one rank outside of the top three.

Andrew Zheng of Acalanes High School (CA) took the other available first place rank in the final round but the other two judges did not concur with that ranking so he finished fifth, one place behind Parmar and four ranks ahead of sixth place finisher Eashan Kosaraju of Solon High School (OH).

Other prominent finishers at the tournament included a quarter-finalist placing for defending NSDA International Extemp National Champion Anthony Babu of Concord-Carlisle High School (MA) and Ellie Sohn of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA). Sohn finished last year’s National Points Race in nineteenth place.

The Speech and Debate Season Opener was a fifth tier event so only the extempers who reached the final round will earn points. The first National Points Race standings will be released after the New York City Invitational in October.

Here are the results of the 2024 National Speech and Debate Season Opener Hosted by the University of Kentucky (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 Extemp TOC: Morel Returns Plano West to the Winner’s Circle, Beats 40 Other Competitors to Win the Season’s Second Major

By admin

On May 21, 2024

In Extemp TOC, National Circuit Results

This year’s Tournament of Champions of Extemporaneous Speaking, hosted by Northwestern University, attracted a disappointing field of only 41 extempers for the national extemp circuit’s second major championship.

Sasha Morel of Plano West Senior High School (TX) won a decisive victory, beating Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC) by eight ranks in the final round. Morel earned five of the seven available first place ranks.

Devarsh Borah of Edina High School (MN) rounded out the top three with a third place finish. Borah finished four ranks behind Parmar.

#12 Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA) was the highest ranked competitor in the field and made the final round, placing sixth. The only other ranked competitor in the National Points Race who made elimination rounds was #18 Kate Liu of Plano East Senior High School (TX), who dropped in semi-finals.

Even though the field did not attract many of the extempers in the top 25 of the National Points Race, the final round featured extempers from five states.

Plano West had two extempers in the final as Abraham Zhang took fifth.

Morel is the first Plano West extemper to win the TOC since Jacqueline Wei in 2019. Plano West has had three champions at the event, including Morel, since 2018. The school also won the tournament’s sweepstakes award.

All of the extempers that reached elimination rounds will earn National Points Race points.

Here are the results of the 2024 Tournament of Champions of Extemporaneous Speaking (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions: Reitman Wins Second National Points Event of the Year; Haider Takes Second

By Logan Scisco

On April 25, 2024

In National Circuit Results, UK TOC

The national circuit resumed after taking a two-month pause for state championship competitions. 89 competitors attended this year’s University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC), kicking off the post-season phase of the National Points Race.

#17 Charlotte Reitman of NSU University School (FL) won her second National Points Race tournament of the season, winning the final round over #4 Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX) by two ranks. Nick Pienkos of Marquette University School (WI) finished third, one rank behind Haider and three back of Reitman.

Reitman is the first Florida extemper to win the UK TOC since Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School, who won in 2016.

The final round was close as five extempers each received a first place rank. What clinched the title for Reitman was receiving two second place ranks while other competitors received a worse mixture of ranks from the panel.

#15 Tyler Crivella of Seven Lakes High School (TX) finished fourth and #19 Ellie Sohn of Flintidge Preparatory School (CA) took fifth. Crivella was appearing in his third National Points Race final round of the year while Sohn was appearing in her fourth.

Arya Goyal of Scarsdale High School (NY) finished sixth.

Several other extempers in the top 25 made the trip to Lexington for last weekend’s event. #9 Abhijay Rana of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) dropped in semi-finals while #2 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory, #12 Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA), and #16 Austin Bauman of Bellarmine College Preparatory made it to the quarter-final round.

Since the UK TOC was a third tier event, Reitman will receive 100 points for winning and all competitors who reached elimination rounds will earn National Points Race points. The next National Points Race competition will take place next weekend in Evanston, Illinois when Northwestern University hosts the Tournament of Champions of Extemporaneous Speaking, the season’s second major championship.

Here are the results of the 2024 University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 California Invitational: Bauman Retains Bellarmine’s Hold on Championship, Spoils Tsoi’s Bid for Two National Points Race Wins by 1 Rank

By geniao44446

On February 29, 2024

In National Circuit Results

Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) has made it a habit of winning the California Invitational, taking three of the last five titles and this year was no different as Austin Bauman outlasted 129 other extempers to win the last National Points Race tournament of the regular season.

The tournament was cumulative from prelims and Bauman’s lead going into the final round allowed him to take the title as he won by one rank over #13 Evelyn Tsoi of Velasquez Academy (CA), who was appearing in her third National Points Race final round this season. Tsoi, who won the United States Extemp half of the James Logan MLK Invitational last month, won the final round but that was not enough to claim the overall tournament title even though Bauman took fourth in finals.

Like last year’s tournament, the final rankings of the tournament were close as #15 Abhijay Rana of Bellarmine, the winner of the International Extemp half at MLK, was a mere three ranks behind Tsoi. And Katherine Peckham of Westwood High School (TX), the only non-Californian in the final round, was one rank behind Rana. Peckham was runner-up to Tsoi in the final round after taking three first place ranks from the five judge panel and they made the biggest leap in the tournament from prelims to finals after they only cleared into elimination rounds by two ranks. Only a fourth and fifth place rank in the final round kept them out of the top three.

Bauman’s win was the second in a row for Bellarmine at the tournament after #7 Rohit Vakkalagadda won last season. Vakkalagadda’s bid for a second consecutive title, a feat that has not been done in 11 years, ended in prelims as he missed the break to elimination rounds by one rank.

Ethan Chen of Monte Vista High School (CA) took fifth place, finishing six ranks behind Peckham. And #17 Ellie Sohn of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) reached her third National Points Race final round of the year and placed sixth. Sohn led the tournament after prelims.

Isaiah Sohn of Redlands High School (CA) and Ali Malik of Monta Vista High School (CA) were not able to replicate their final round finishes at last year’s California Invitational. Sohn dropped in quarter-finals and Mailk in octa-finals.

#23 Joy Hu of the Harker School in the tournament field but was not able to reach elimination rounds. Like Vakkalagadda, she missed the break by one rank.

Since the California Invitational was a third tier event, Bauman will receive 100 points for his victory and all extempers who reached quarter-finals will receive points. New National Points Race standings will be posted by next weekend.

Here are the results of the 2024 California Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 Harvard National Speech & Debate Tournament: Peddi Breaks Through at Last Regular Season National Points Race Tournament, Wins Final Four Against Three National Points Race Champions

By geniao44446

On February 27, 2024

In National Circuit Results

239 extempers made up the largest field of a National Points Race this season when Harvard University hosted its annual National Speech and Debate Tournament on February 17-20 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a result of the high number of entries, the tournament was a second tier event.

#1 Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) won the championship in commanding fashion, earning a six-rank final round victory that saw her earn four of the five available first place ranks. It is Peddi’s first National Points Race title this year after she made four previous final round appearances. Her victory marks the second consecutive time that an Arizona extemper has won Harvard as McKinley Paltzik won the title last season. And the 150 points she earned with this victory will enlarge her National Points Race lead.

Peddi won a final round against three other National Points Race winners. Second place was earned by #11 Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX), who won the United States Extemp half of the University of Texas Longhorn Classic in December. Haider swept up a majority of the second place ranks in the final round and was five ranks clear of the rest of the competition.

George Mason University Patriot Games winner Siri Ural of Shrewsbury High School (MA) earned a third place ranking, three ranks ahead of #18 Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA) and four ranks ahead of Stanford International Extemp winner #2 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA). Burris and Cheng were separated by a mere rank for fourth place. Burris made her third National Points Race final round of the season while Cheng made his fifth.

Paul Fertig of Mounds Park Academy (MN) finished sixth, reaching a National Points Race final round for the second time this season. Fertig also finished sixth at the Apple Valley Minneapple Speech Tournament two weeks before Harvard.

While the final round featured a good number of previous winners this season, many ranked extempers were found in earlier elimination rounds and will earn National Points Race points. #12 Skyler Burrus of the American Heritage School – Palm Beach (FL) and #14 Kate Liu of Plano East High School (TX) made semi-finals, Glenbrooks champion #6 Lishore Kumar of Tomball Memorial High School (TX) and #25 Ishika Kothari of Plano East reached quarter-finals, and #3 Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) qualified for octa-finals.

Due to the large number of competitors at Harvard, a few ranked competitors missed qualifying for elimination rounds. These included #10 Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ) and #19 Ronak Patel of American Heritage School – Broward (FL).

Here are the results of the 2024 Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 Stanford Invitational: Flintridge Preparatory’s Cheng and Sohn Have Impressive Performances; Cheng and Abrams win IX and USX in Online Event

By geniao44446

On February 15, 2024

In National Circuit Results

The 37th annual Stanford Invitational took place online last weekend, hosted by Stanford University’s Stanford Student Enterprises division. The online nature of the tournament made it accessible to extempers throughout the country and 76 competitors battled in International Extemp and 58 entries did the same in United States Extemp.

Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) had a great tournament. #4 Brandon Cheng and Ellie Sohn led the way, taking the top two spots in International Extemp. The duo also placed second and fourth, respectively, in United States Extemp, giving them the best performances across both extemp categories.

Cheng captured his first National Points Race title in four final round appearances, beating Sohn by five ranks in the final round. Cheng only took one first place rank but his consistency was much better than other competitors, solidifying the win.

Second through sixth place in International Extemp was separated by a mere four ranks, attesting to how judges split in their decisions. Nathan Cai of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ) was third, Prajval Kesireddy of Solon High School (OH) was fourth, James Logan MLK United States Extemp winner #16 Evelyn Tsoi of Velasquez Academy (CA) was fifth, and Joy Hu of the Harker School (CA) placed sixth.

Kesireddy captured two of the five available first place ranks in the final round but scooped up fifth and sixth place ranks from the other three judges, dooming their composite score.

In United States Extemp, Matthew Abrams of George Washington High School (CO) won a four-rank win over Cheng.

The battle for second through fourth place was tightly contested as Cheng finished second by one rank over Hu and Hu was two ranks ahead of Sohn. Aside from Cheng and Sohn, Hu was the only other extemper to final in both extemp categories.

Robert Fields of the Harker School (CA) and Samuel Ma of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) had a tight battle for fifth, with Fields finishing ahead by one rank.

#1 Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale was in the field but dropped in the semi-finals of both categories. #13 Kate Liu of Plano East High School (TX) entered International Extemp but did not clear to elimination rounds and #14 Abhijay Rana of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA), who won James Logan’s MLK tournament last month in International Extemp, was eliminated in the semi-final round of International Extemp.

All of the finalists will receive National Points Race points since Stanford was a fifth tier event this year. To prevent double counting, an extemper’s highest finish will be awarded points. Due to the number of entries and if the tournament is online for 2024-2025, it is in the running to move up a tier because of the wide geographic participation of this year’s event compared to prior editions.

Here are the results of the 2024 Stanford Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):