Category: National Circuit Results Page 3 of 12

by Daniel Kind

The 39th annual Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament was recently held the weekend before Thanksgiving with 88 entries. As per usual, the tournament was run using a clean break system, but without the usage of the internet during prep. As one of the largest tournaments in the season and one of the last of the year, Glenbrooks is hugely impactful on the Extemp circuit. The final round this year was one of the most hotly contested finals in recent memory for the tournament.

Gus Lanz from Cypress Bay High School (FL) earned 1st place in the tournament. He beat out East Ridge High School’s (MN) Sam Padmanabhan, who got 2nd, by one rank in the final round. Pierce Florey of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ) was tied with Padmanabhan for 2nd, but due to judge preference, he took the 3rd place spot. Anuj Kothari from Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) got 4th place while Ethan Jiang from Seven Lakes High School (TX) edged out Sinan Kassim from the NSU University School (FL) by judge preference for 5th and 6th place respectively.

As a result of The Glenbrooks’ status as a 3rd tier tournament, Lanz earned 100 points for the affair, propelling him to 1st place in the Extemp Central national points race. Padmanabhan got 80 points, placing him in 5th place. Florey accrued 70 points for 6th place in the points race. Kothari attained 50 points for 8th, Jiang earned 40 (tying him for 12th place with Pranav Pattatahunaduvil), and Kassim gained 33 points, making him 10th. All semifinalists got 25 points, putting Theodore Roosevelt HS’s Mo Marks at 2nd and Lake Highland Preparatory’s Daniel Kind at 7th respectively. All quarterfinalists earned 15 points, tying American Heritage Plantation’s Juliette Reyes for third with James Gao.

Here are the results of 2019 Glenbrooks (Click Here for Tab Sheet):

2019 Florida Blue Key: Reyes Picket Fences Final Round; Lanz Takes Second

By geniao44446

On November 6, 2019

In National Circuit Results

Report provided courtesy of Daniel Kind

In Gainesville, Florida on Halloween weekend, the 36th annual Florida Blue Key tournament took place. As per usual with Blue Key, the tournament was held with clean breaks. Differing from the usual, however, was the combining of the International Extemp and Domestic Extemp Section. This Mixed Extemporaneous Speaking pool drew in 120 competitors all over the nation, from California to Tennessee.

Juliette Reyes from the American Heritage School (FL) picked fenced the final round, earning straight 1st place rankings from the three judges in the final to win the tournament. Gus Lanz of Cypress Bay High School (FL) came in 2nd place. Right on his heels and separated by a margin of one rank, Mo Marks from Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) earned 3rd place. Mary Courtney Finn, hailing from the Battle Ground Academy (TN) came in 4th place. Meanwhile Bhrajit Thakur of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) and Sinan Kassim from the NSU University School (FL) finished out the finalists in 5th and 6th place respectively.

In other news, congratulations to Mo Marks for getting 1st place and Juliette Reyes for getting 2nd place in the Blue Key Extemp Round Robin. Additionally, congratulations to the other Round Robin participants, Bhrajit Thakur, Sil Gamboa Marty, Mukta Dharmapurikar, Gus Lanz, and Daniel Kind.

Blue Key is another fifth tier tournament in the 2019-2020 Extemp Central National Points Race. Reyes earned 40 points for her victory, while Lanz attained 34, Marks gained 28, Finn scored 20, Thakur got 16, and Kassim accrued 13 points.

Here are the results of the 2019 Florida Blue Key (Click here for tab sheet):

2019 New York City Invitational: Plano West Dominates, Pattatahunaduvil Wins Decisive Victory

By geniao44446

On October 23, 2019

In National Circuit Results

Report and images courtesy of Daniel Kind.

On a rainy weekend in the middle of of October, anxious extempers gathered in the Bronx for the 49th annual New York City Invitational held at the Bronx School of Science. With 83 entries in the tournament, the elimination round was hotly contested. As seems to be the precedent this season, the tournament was cumulative with a preliminary drop round.

Pranav Pattatahunaduvil of Plano West High School (TX) triumphed the tournament by a long shot, with a margin of eight ranks separating him from second place finisher – and teammate – Angela Wang also from Plano West High School (TX). Jack Silvers of Scarsdale High School (NY) and James Gao from Ridge High School (NJ) were tied for third and fourth places respectively, yet Silvers pulled away by a margin of 0.03 reciprocals to win the tiebreaker. Tristan Wertanzl of Cypress Bay High School (FL) earned fifth place and Leyla Hagan from Syosset High School (NY) finished in sixth.

Due to The NYC Invitational being a fifth tier tournament in the Extemp Central National P by oints race, Pattatahunaduvil gets on the board with 40 points. Wang earned 34 points, Silvers got 28, Gao accrued 20, Wertanzl scored 16, and Hagan got 13. (Editor’s Note: The first National Points Race standings for 2019-2020 will be released follow the Florida Blue Key)

Here are the results of the 2019 New York City Invitational (Click Here for Tab Sheet):

2019 Yale Invitational: Gao Triumphs By One Rank Over Marks

By geniao44446

On September 17, 2019

In National Circuit Results

Report submitted by Daniel Kind

Last weekend, the Yale Invitational officially kicked off the 2019-2020 Extemp Season! The tournament had 138 entries, making it one of the largest in the history of the tournament. Diverging from previous years, the tournament was cumulative this year rather than having clean breaks.

James Gao of Ridge High School (NJ) edged out a victory against Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) by one rank in the final round. Alex Massa of Hoover High School (OH), Juliette Reyes of American Heritage School (FL), and Daniel Kind of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) were neck and neck for third, fourth, and fifth place respectively. One rank separated each of the three competitors. Dylan Cawley of the Delbarton School (NJ) rounded out the top six in sixth place.

Because Yale is a fourth tier tournament in the National Points Race, Gao earned seventy points for winning the event. Marks earned 60, Massa earned 49, Reyes earned 35, Kind earned 28, and Cawley earned 20. Additionally, all semi-finalists earned 18 points.

Here are the results of the 2019 Yale Invitational (Click
here for tab sheet):

2019 Barkley Forum: Maximos Demolishes Final Round; Kirk Finishes Runner-Up on the Heels of MLK Win

By geniao44446

On January 31, 2019

In National Circuit Results

Extempers 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):

2019 Marshall Speech Spectacular: Wu Wins Final Round Full of Minnesota Extempers; Marks Finishes Third to Close Gap in the National Points Race

By geniao44446

On January 30, 2019

In National Circuit Results

This was Wu’s first National Points Race final round and championship this season. The final round was also Brachio’s first at a National Points Race event, who was a quarter-finalist at Glenbrooks in November.

Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) was the highest ranked competitor in the final round. Marks captured one of the five available first place ranks in the last round of the tournament but was unable to accumulate enough ranks to defeat Wu, finishing five ranks behind her and four ranks ahead of fourth place finisher Seamus Duffy of O’Gorman High School (SD). Nevertheless, Marks notched her first top three finish in her sixth National Points Race final round showing this year, and the points earned her helped her trim the National Points Race lead that is currently held by Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA).

Minnesota extempers Sam Padmanabhan of East Ridge High School and Alli Hering of Eastview High School were the fifth and sixth place finishers, respectively.

Since the Marshall Speech Spectacular was a fifth tier event in the National Points Race, Wu earned forty points for her victory. All of the competitors in the final round earned points.

Here are the results for the 2019 Marshall Speech Spectacular (Click here for tab sheet):

2019 James Logan MLK Invitational: Kirk Notches Second National Points Race Victory of the Season; Roy Triumphs in USX

By geniao44446

On January 24, 2019

In National Circuit Results

Last weekend James Logan High School in Union City, California hosted its MLK Invitational, the first West Coast tournament in this year’s National Points Race. The tournament usually features a vast array of California competitors with a few out of state extempers sprinkled in and this year one of those extempers, Nikolas Kirk of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ), captured its international extemp championship. Kirk defeated Rubin Roy of Monte Vista High School (CA) by two cumulative ranks, a margin helped by Kirk’s five rank victory in the final round. Nicholas Panyanouvong of James Enochs High School (CA) placed third.

Kirk’s victory was his second at a National Points Race event this season as he was credited with a victory for being the best overall extemper at the University of Texas Longhorn Classic last month. That makes he and Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) as the only extempers with more than one National Points Race victory in 2018-2019. Kirk earned forty points for winning the MLK, moving him into fifth place in the National Points Race.

In the United States Extemp portion of the tournament, Roy triumphed over teammate Arham Habib, who was a semi-finalist at the Glenbrooks in November, by one rank despite losing the final round by six ranks. Habib won the final round with two first place ranks but an errant fourth place rank put him one behind Roy when the cumulative ranks were tallied. Arshia Mehta of Dougherty Valley High School (CA) was the third place finisher.

The top six finishers in each extemp category earned National Points Race points and Roy was credited with a victory in USX, giving him his first points of the season. However, he will not receive points from the IX portion of the tournament to prevent double counting in the standings.

Here are the results of the 2019 James Logan MLK Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

2019 Sunvitational: Mullen Dominates Final Round; Quinones Finishes Second and Moves Up in the National Points Race

By geniao44446

On January 15, 2019

In National Circuit Results

Last weekend, the NSU University School in Davie, Florida hosted eighty extempers as part of its annual Sunvitational. The tournament is a fourth tier event in the Extemp Central National Points Race due to its regional reputation, and in this year’s competition Joseph Mullen of Cypress Bay High School (FL) demolished the final round, going straight 1’s to secure the championship. Mullen defeated teammates Jose Quinones, Susana Davis, and Tristan Wertanzl in the final round, with Quinones taking second, Davis finishing fourth, and Wertanzl placing fifth.

The only non-Floridian in the final round was Avi Gulati of the Harker School (CA), who placed third.

Marco Munoz of A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts (FL) rounded out the final round field in sixth place.

Mullen will earn seventy points in the National Points Race for his victory and all extempers who finished in the semi-final rounds and beyond will earn points. The biggest mover after the tournament was Quinones, who now occupies the third position in the National Points Race behind Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) and Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA). Updated National Points Race standings will be released near the end of the week.

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

2019 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin: Wei Captures Second Major Championship; National Points Leader Rollins Finishes Second

By geniao44446

On January 8, 2019

In MBA Coverage, National Circuit Results

Sixteen of the nation’s best extempers, including a good number of the top ten extempers in this year’s Extemp Central National Points Race, converged on Nashville, Tennessee as part of the twenty-first edition of the Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) Extemp Round Robin. The Round Robin features ten rounds of competition with extempers paired off into four rooms of four. The tournament is staggered so that each competitor gets two rounds against another and each round features three minute cross-examination.

When the tournament finished on Sunday evening, reigning National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) United States Extemp National Champion Jacqueline Wei of Plano West Senior High School (TX) defeated National Points Race leader Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) by six ranks. Wei’s victory, her second major championship, keeps the title in Plano as her teammate, Nikhil Ramaswamy, triumphed in last year’s tournament. This is the third time that Plano West has walked away with the Round Robin title, matching Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) and Milton Academy (MA) for the most victories at the prestigious competition.

MBA only recognizes the top six competitors at awards, with the others receiving participation trophies. Christopher Maximos of the Delbarton School (NJ), who finaled at the Yale Invitational in September, took third, while Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) was credited with her fifth National Points Race final round appearance this season by placing fourth. Nikolas Kirk of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ), who shared first place points in the National Points Race with Vivian Zhao of Plano Senior High School (TX) at the University of Texas Longhorn Classic, was fifth. Yale semi-finalist Jack Silvers of Scarsdale High School (NY) also surprised national circuit observers with a sixth place finish.

Wei will receive 150 points for her victory in the Round Robin, which was the first of three second tier tournaments during the second semester. National Points Race standings will be updated near the end of the week so extempers know where they stand heading into the Sunvitational.

Here are the results of the 2019 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin:

2018 University of Texas-Austin Longhorn Classic: Mummaneni and Zhao Capture IX and USX Titles; Zhao and Kirk Share National Points Race Points

By geniao44446

On January 6, 2019

In National Circuit Results

The University of Texas-Austin hosted its Longhorn Classic on December 7-10. The tournament attracted its usual Texas-heavy field, with 104 extempers competing in international extemp and 102 extempers competing in United States Extemp.

In International Extemp, Anurima Mummaneni of Westwood High School (TX) defeated Nikolas Kirk of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ) via judges preference when both competitors tied with cumulative scores of eight. Mummaneni captured two first place ranks in the final round, allowing her to avoid a loss when the other judge in the final round gave her sixth place. Angela Wang of Jasper High School (TX) took third.

In United States Extemp, Vivian Zhao of Plano Senior High School (TX) emerged victorious over Pranav Pattatathunaduvil of Jasper High School (TX) by a mere one rank. Zhao did not capture a first place rank in the final round, but her consistency of scores, which included two second place ranks and one third place rank, helped her triumph in a fractured room where no competitor assembled more than one first place score. Mackenzie Matheson of Lake Travis High School (TX) finished third.

Due to the fact that the Longhorn Classic allows extempers to compete in both extemp categories, the scoring system used for Florida Blue Key was used to determine National Points Race points. UT was a fourth tier tournament and when the results of both competitons were assembled, Zhao and Kirk tied for first place. Both competitors will share first and second place points in the National Points Race and the top twelve competitors at the tournament will receive points in the competition.

Here are the results of the 2018 University of Texas Longhorn Classic (Click here for tab sheet):

2018 George Mason University Patriot Games: Rollins Seizes Control of the National Points Race; Cypress Bay Extempers Secure Three of Six Final Round Slots

By geniao44446

On January 2, 2019

In National Circuit Results

(Note: We do not have extemp round robin results from this year’s Patriot Games. If you have these results, please send them to us at [email protected])

George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia hosted its 15th Annual Patriot Games Classic on December 1-2. Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) captured three first place scores in the final round to triumph by three ranks over Jose Quinones of Cypress Bay High School (FL), thereby allowing her to also seize control of the National Points Race. She also became the first sophomore to win the tournament and the first Virginia to accomplish the feat since at least 2006.

Cypress Bay extempers appeared in four National Points Race final rounds before the Patriot Games and they nearly doubled that total at the tournament since they took up half of the final round field. In addition to Quinones runner-up finish, Gus Lanz finished third and Blue Key international extemp winner Tristan Wertanzl finished fifth.

Another notable in the final round was Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA). Marks entered the Patriot Games in fourth place in the National Points Race and her tournament result mirrored that placing.

Kishan Gandham of Ridge High School (NJ) rounded out the final round with a sixth place finish. This was his first National Points Race final round appearance for the year.

All of the extempers who cleared to elimination rounds earned National Points Race points. Rollins earned 100 points for her victory because GMU is a third tier tournament. Semi-finalists earned twenty-five points and quarter-finalists earned fifteen points.

Here are the results of the 2018 George Mason University Patriot Games (Click here for tab sheet):

2018 Glenbrooks: Zheng Catapults Into the National Points Race Lead; Cypress Bay Places Two in Finals

By geniao44446

On January 1, 2019

In National Circuit Results

The Glenbrooks, a third tier event in the National Points Race, took place at Glenbrooks North and South High School in Northbrook, Illinois between November 17-19. Brian Zheng of Naperville North High School (IL) used home field advantage to its maximum extent to win the tournament and move into the top spot in the National Points Race. Zheng won by two ranks over Tristan Wertanzl of Cypress Bay High School (FL). Wertanzl won the international extemp portion of the Florida Blue Key several weeks before the Glenbrooks.

Zheng only took one first place rank among the five judges in the final round, but no judge ranked him lower than third. This helped him triumph over Wertanzl who took two first place ranks but also took one fourth and one fifth place rank, thereby hurting his composite score.

Daniel Chao of Kent Denver School (CO) made his first National Points Race final round this year and took third.

The final round had a significant number of other National Points Race notables as Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) finished fourth, Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) finished fifth, and Jose Quinones of Cypress Bay High School (FL) finished sixth.

All of the competitors who reached elimination rounds earned National Points Race points.

Here are the results of the 2018 Glenbrooks (Click here for tab sheet):

2018 Florida Blue Key: Rollins and Wertanzl Split USX and IX Championships

By geniao44446

On December 20, 2018

In National Circuit Results

(Note: This is a corrected write up because Blue Key had a tabulation error in IX that altered the original placings)

The University of Florida played host to the 2018 Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament, a fifth tier event in the National Points Race, on October 26-28, 2018. The tournament attracted its usual bevy of Florida extempers, with Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) and Tristan Wertanzl of Cypress Bay High School (FL) winning the United States extemp and international extemp categories, respectively.

Wertanzl was initially announced the tournament’s sixth place finisher in international extemp, but a tabulation error was later uncovered that made him the winner. Rollins ended up winning U.S. Extemp by one rank over Wertanzl’s teammate, Jose Quinones.

Rollins performance was the second time that she reached the final round of a National Points Race event this season, having made the finals of the Yale Invitational in September. The same was true of Brian Zheng of Naperville North High School (IL), who placed fifth in international extemp and third in United States extemp and moved into a tie for second place in the National Points Race with Rollins after this event (although Rollins owned a tiebreaker for having a victory).

Due to the fact that Blue Key had an international and United States extemp portion, competitors were awarded points based on a formula that calculates how well they did across both halves of the competition. This prevents an extemper from earning double points at one tournament. Rollins had the best performance across both categories of any extemper at the tournament and received the forty National Points Race points for the event. Quinones and Zheng were awarded second and third place points. Fourth place points were given to Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA), who was a semi-finalist in the United States extemp half and was a fourth place finisher in the international extemp portion. Wertanzl got fifth place points as he was a quarter-finalist in the U.S. Extemp portion. Finally, sixth place points ended up as a three way tie between Max Pinkiert of NSU University School (FL), New York City Invitational winner Juliette Reyes of American Heritage School (FL), and Rehan Rupawalla of Tompkins High School (TX). All three of these competitors were semi-finalists in each category.

Here are the results of the 2018 Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2018 New York City Invitational: Reyes Narrowly Defeats Murad; Ridge High School Places Two in Finals

By geniao44446

On December 19, 2018

In National Circuit Results

The second event in the 2018-2019 Extemp Central National Points Race, the New York City Invitational, took place at the Bronx High School of Science in the Bronx on October 12-14. In the cumulative tournament, Juliette Reyes of American Heritage School (FL) defeated Rayhan Murad of Ridge High School (NJ) by one rank. Reyes won the final round by one rank over Murad, which solidified her first national circuit victory of the season. Reyes was a runner-up finisher at the University of Kentucky National Season Opener.

Aside from Reyes, two other Floridians made the final round. Gustavo Lanz of Cypress Bay High School was third and Eli Finkelstein of Trinity Preparatory School was fourth.

Ridge High School also had two competitors in the final round. In addition to Murad’s runner-up finish, James Gao placed fourth.

For winning the tournament, Reyes earned forty points in the National Points Race because the New York City Invitational was a fifth tier event. Her victory moved her into fifth place in the National Points Race standings. Murad moved into third place as he was a semi-finalist at the Yale Invitational.

Fifth place finisher Louis Savoia of Xaverian High Schol (NY) also moved up the National Points Race standings, earning sixteen points at this event to go with the eighteen he received for being a Yale semi-finalist. After this tournament he was seventh in the national rankings.

Defending champion Christopher Maximos of the Delbarton School (NJ) did not attend the tournament.

Here are the results of the 2018 New York City Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

2018 Yale Invitational: Fisher Goes Back-to-Back to Kick Off the 2018-2019 National Points Race

By geniao44446

On December 18, 2018

In National Circuit Results

The 2018-2019 Extemp Central National Points Race kicked off in New Haven, Connecticut in late September when Yale University hosted the twenty-sixth edition of the Yale University Invitational. Kate Fisher of St. Mary’s Hall (TX) repeated as tournament champion, defeating Hannah Siegel of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) and Christopher Maximos of the Delbarton School (NJ) in the cumulative competition. Fisher’s score of thirty-five ranks across the tournament’s preliminary rounds, as well as outround competition, secured a four rank margin of victory.

Each of the final round competitors represented a different state, with Brian Zheng of Naperville North High School (IL) placing fourth, University of Kentucky National Season Opener winner Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) taking fifth, and Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) placing sixth.

Fisher became the first competitor to win back-to-back Yale championships since Daniel Rauch of Millburn High School accomplished the feat in 2004 and 2005.

Fisher earned seventy National Points Race points for winning the event. All competitors who made the final and semi-final rounds earned points as well.

Here are the results of the 2018 Yale Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):