Category: Nationals Results Page 1 of 3

2025 NSDA National Tournament: Babu Repeats as IX National Champion; Zhang Clinches National Points Race with USX Championship

On June 27, 2025

This year the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) celebrated its 100-year anniversary, hosting the tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. Hundreds of extempers gathered to battle for this year’s national championships in International and United States Extemp with many in the National Points Race advancing deep into the competition.

In International Extemp, #5 Anthony Babu of Concord-Carlisle High School (MA) successfully defended his national championship, becoming just the second extemper to win back-to-back IX national titles. Babu won the tournament by 14 ranks, assisted by also winning the final round. Ryan Xu of Plano West Senior High School (TX) finished second.

Xu was part of a strong Texas contingent in IX as the state had four finalists. #3 Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School was third, #6 Anushka Gupta of Westwood High School finished second in the final round and placed fourth, and Pranav Kothur of Tompkins High School was sixth.

Thomas Guo of Bellarmine College Preparatory finished fifth.

The National Points Race came down to the final round in United States Extemp. Needing a strong finish, #1 Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) once again lived up to his ranking.winning a sixth National Points Race event and taking the USX national title by 15 ranks. Like Babu, Zhang won the final round national title as well, winning the round by ten ranks.

To win the title, Zhang had to defend off a series of California challengers in a good year for the state. Sovia Villagra of Gabrielino High School was second; #2 Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School, who finished second in the final round, was third; #16 Andrew Zheng of the Acalanes High School was fourth; and Samuel Ma of Bellarmine College Preparatory was sixth.

Annie Chen of BASIS Chandler (AZ) was fifth.

It was interesting that none of the finalists in IX or USX except for Babu were in last year’s final rounds. #13 Tea Shouldice of Half Hollow Hills High School East (NY) elected not to attend this year’s tournament and defend her USX national championship. In USX, Ella Witalec of the Laurel School (OH) was a finalist last year and finished twelfth this year. She was the only returning finalist aside from Babu to make a deep run in the tournament.

NCFL National Champion #14 Nicholas Zylstra of Eastview High School (MN) made it twelve rounds in USX, finishing fourteenth. None of the NCFL extemp finalists made an NSDA final round this year although Zylstra, #12 Anwen Williams of Lawrence Free State High School (KS), #11 Aparna Iyer of Ridge High School (NJ), and Claire Han of Munster High School (IN) reached semi-finals in their respective categories.

All of the non-seniors in USX and IX that reached the final or semi-final round earn an automatic qualification in that category to next year’s national tournament. Like last year, about two-thirds of those in finals and semi-finals were not seniors, continuing a trend at the national tournament where senior competitors are not attending the national tournament or advancing deep in the competition. Automatic qualifiers to next year’s nationals are highlighted in blue below.

Extemp Central congratulates all of the finishers. A final update for this year’s National Points Race will be posted in a few days.

Here are the results of the 2025 National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2025 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament: Tiebreaker Needed For Zylstra to Prevail over Williams

By Logan Scisco

On June 12, 2025

In Nationals Results

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional home of the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL)’s Grand National Tournament and this year the event took place in Chicago. More than 150 extempers made the trip.

When the dust settled on Sunday night, Nicholas Zylstra of Eastview High School (MN) won one of the closest national championships in recent memory, besting National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (TOC) winner Anwen Williams of Lawrence Free State High School (KS) in a final round tiebraker.

NCFL Nationals is tabulated by awarding an extemper a first, second, or third place rank based on how they finished in their octafinal, then quarter-final, and then semi-final round. In the final round, each judge’s rank counts toward the cumulative score. At the end of the competition Zylstra and Williams had a seventeen composite. However, Zylstra was one rank ahead of Williams in a final round where no extemper earned more than one first place rank, becoming the fifth Minnesota extemper to win the NCFL national championship since 1997. It is Eastview’s second NCFL extemp win since 1997 as Akshar Rambachan captured the title in 2008.

#23 Aparna Iyer of Ridge High School (NJ) was the only ranked extemper to make the final round, finishing two ranks back of Zylstra and Williams in third place. If Iyer had won it would have given Ridge High School back-to-back champions as Amy Cao won last year’s tournament.

Of all schools present, Ridge High School had the best showing in extemp, having a finalist, two semi-finalists, one quarter-finalist, and one octa-finalist.

Ivy Litton of Rowan County Senior High School (KY) became the state’s first extemp national finalist in a decade, finishing fourth. Litton was followed by Grace Klausner of the Convent of the Sacred Heart – New York City (NY) and Claire Han of Munster High School (IN).

Han was a semi-finalist at last year’s tournament. She and Klausner tied for fifth place and tied in the final round so a judges’ preference tiebreak had to be utilized.

Vasu Lakshmanan of Shrewsbury High School (MA), who finished fifth in last year’s tournament, was unable to get back to the final round but came close, finishing seventh.

National Points Race leader Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA) did not attend the tournament. However, #2 Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) did and reached semi-finals, which will be enough for him to regain the lead before the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament.

Finishes among the top 25 at this year’s NCFL include quarter-finalist placings for #5 Anthony Babu of Concord-Carlisle High School (MA), #9 Al Zaidi of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (FL), #12 Tea Shouldice of Half Hollow Hills East High School (NY), and #18 Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC). #10 Sahana Srikanth of Mason High School (OH) was eliminated in octa-finals.

Here are the results of the 2025 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2024 NSDA National Tournament: The Northeast Re-Establishes Itself as Babu and Shouldice Capture National Championships

By Logan Scisco

On June 27, 2024

In Nationals Results

Texas and the Southwest have had a lock on top finishes and championships at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament over the last decade. This year’s national tournament saw the Northeast, a region that dominated national circuit contests 25 years ago, reassert itself as two extempers from the area, Anthony Babu of Concord-Carlisle High School (MA) and Tea Shouldice of Half Hollow Hills High School East (NY), won the International and United States Extemp national championships.

Babu, a sophomore, was dominant in International Extemp, winning his national championship by 33 ranks. Babu also won the final round over runner-up #17 Rohit Vakkalagadda of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) by 10 ranks. He is the first sophomore to win an NSDA national extemp championship since Kevin Troy of Eagan High School (MN) won United States Extemp in 2003. And he is the first Massachusetts extemper to win an NSDA championship in extemp since Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA) won International Extemp in 2016.

Vakkalagadda was making a return trip to the NSDA final round, the only extemper this year to do so. He improved on last year’s third place finish thanks to a strong final round performance that moved him out of fifth place.

The other big story in International Extemp concerned the National Points Race. #2 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) made his sixth National Points Race final round this season. Needing at least a third place finish to win the title after #1 Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) was eliminated in the quarter-finals of U.S. Extemp, Cheng did so on the number, beating fourth place finisher Daniel Rupawalla of Tompkins High School (TX) by seven ranks.

It took a cumulative total of 71 or fewer ranks to clear into the International Extemp final round. The cut off was tight as six semi-finalists were within six ranks of that total. Ava Aslinia of Blue Valley High School (KS) would have been in the final round but withdrew from the competition. As a result, Aslinia was credited with a seventh place finish by the NSDA. Mina Bhargava of Edina High School (MN) and #4 Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA) tied for eighth place, with Bhargava winning a tiebreaker. Burris was the only extemper in this year’s National Points Race to earn points at all four post-season tournaments. Other ranked extempers fell in semi-finals and included #24 Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC), who finished tenth; #25 Claire Han of Munster High School (IN), who finished eleventh; and #9 Lishore Kumar of Tomball Memorial High School (TX), who finished twelfth.

United States Extemp was much closer. Shouldice, a junior, entered the final round in fifth place – and cleared into finals by a mere three ranks – but won the final round by 20 ranks – 17 of which counted toward her cumulative total – and became the first New York extemper to win the United States Extemp National Championship at NSDA. Brayson Holmes of Clark High School (NV) was the runner-up, finishing five ranks behind Shouldice. Saathvik Kannan of Columbia-Hickman High School (MO), who took eleventh last year, was a further six ranks back in third place. Shouldice is the first New York extemper to win an NSDA extemp national championship since Dan Hemel of Scarsdale High School won International Extemp in 2003.

#12 Evelyn Tsoi of Arcadia High School (CA) entered the final round in first place. However, she finished last in the final round, dropping her cumulative score and causing her to end the tournament in fifth place, behind Isabella Razdan of Lincoln East High School (NE), who made finals after a fourteenth place finish last year, and ahead of Ella Witalec of the Laurel School (OH).

Ali Malik of Monta Vista High School (CA) was the seventh place finisher, missing the final round by one rank. A total of 69 or fewer cumulative ranks were need to get into the U.S. Extemp final and three other semi-finalists were within six ranks of that total. Other notable finishers in the semi-finals included #13 Katherine Lee of Plano West Senior High School (TX), who placed eleventh, and #16 Ellie Sohn of Flintridge Preparatory, who finished fourteenth.

In a departure from previous years, no one who was in the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament final round was in an NSDA extemp final round.

This year’s final and semi-final fields were dominated by non-senior extempers. Four finalists in International Extemp and three United States Extemp finalists are not graduating. That includes both national champions. 6 semi-finalists in International Extemp and 3 semi-finalist in United States Extemp are not graduating as well. These individuals are noted in blue on the results listing as they are automatically qualified in their respective category for next year’s national tournament.

Extemp Central congratulates all of the finishers. A final update for this year’s National Points Race will be posted later in the week.

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

2024 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament: Cao Claims Title After Last Year’s Runner-Up Finish and Laps the Field to Do It

By Logan Scisco

On June 1, 2024

In Nationals Results

#20 Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ) won the first two National Points Race tournaments at the beginning of the season and she returned to her winning ways last weekend in Chicago, Illinois when the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) held its Grand National Tournament. Cao, who was runner-up at last year’s NCFL Grand Nationals, won a commanding victory, doubling up her nearest competitor, Max Smith of Ronald Reagan High School (WI), in cumulative ranks to win her first national championship.

Cao has won each time she has made a National Points Race final round this year. Her victory is the first time in a decade that a New Jersey extemper wins the NCFL National Championship as Monica Coscia of Montville Township High School won in 2014.

There was a three-way tie for second place between Smith, #8 Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA), and Noah Darby of St. Thomas More Catholic High School (LA). The tie way broken based on final round performance, with Smith beating Burris by one rank and Burris beating Darby by two ranks for third place. Burris was the highest ranked competitor in the field and, like Cao, was also in finals last year. This was Burris’ third top three finish in a National Points Race tournament and her fifth National Points Race finals appearance this season.

Vasu Lakshmanan of Shrewsbury High School (MA), who reached Yale finals in the fall, placed fifth in their second National Points Race finals appearance of the season. Lakshmanan finished three cumulative ranks clear of sixth place finisher Chloe Leng of the Hawken School (OH), who was a finalist at the Florida Blue Key in October.

Some other notable finishers were #14 Siri Ural of Shrewsbury, who dropped in semi-finals after reaching finals at last year’s national tournament. #24 Kajal Parmar of Cary Academy (NC) reached quarter-finals and #21 Nick Pienkos of Marquette University High School (WI) dropped in octa-finals.

Cao will earn 150 points for her victory because the Grand National Tournament is a second tier event. All extempers who reached elimination round will earn points. New National Points Race standings will be posted next week.

Here are the results of the 2024 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2022 National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament: Paltzik & Alisky Ride Strong Final Round Performances to Victories in International and United States Extemp

By geniao44446

On June 20, 2022

In Nationals Results

Last weekend, Louisville, Kentucky hosted the National Speech and Debate Association (NDSA) National Tournament. This was the first time that Kentucky hosted NSDA since 1957. It was also the first in-person NSDA national tournament in three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

International Extemp ended up as a race between the two extempers who were near the top of the National Points Race all season. #3 McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ) won her second major championship, defeating #1 Daniel Kind of Lake Highland Preparatory School (FL) by twenty ranks. #22 Majid Shabbeer of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) finished third.

Kind, who won this year’s National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) national championship, was trying to become the first extemper to win the NCFL and NSDA titles in the same year since 2011. He led going into the final round by ten ranks, but Paltzik captured an impressive nine first place ranks from the thirteen available judges in the final round. That allowed her to vault ahead of this year’s National Points Race winner, claim the title, and become the first Arizona extemper to win International Extemp.

Paltzik’s victory also completed a perfect conversion rate when she reached the final rounds of National Points Race tournaments this year, winning five titles in five final round appearances.

In United States Extemp, #12 Peter Alisky of Smoky Hill High School (CO) mounted a furious charge in the final round, going from fifth to first after taking eight first place ranks. Alisky defeated Kush Narang of Bellarmine College Preparatory, who entered the final round with a seven-rank advantage over last year’s NCFL national champion Ananth Veluvali of Edina High School (MN). Veluvali ended the tournament in third place to cap off a season where he finished in the top three of each of the four major tournaments.

Alisky is the first Colorado extemper to win a national championship at NSDA since 2006, when Colin West and Spencer Rockwell claimed titles in USX and IX.

For the National Points Race, Alisky will earn 250 points for his victory, as well as an additional 50 points for winning the final round because USX earned the bonus for having the most competitors within the top twenty-five in its field. Paltzik will earn 200 points for her victory, as well as an additional 40 points for winning the final round. All extempers that reached elimination rounds will earn National Points Race points, with final standings scheduled to be released by the end of the week.

The final rounds, as well as semi-final rounds, featured a lot of non-senior competitors, all of whom earn an automatic qualification to next year’s national tournament. This includes Ajay Gupta of Hinsdale Central High School (IL), #20 Jack Ververis of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), and #14 Gabriel Bo of Plano West Senior High School (TX) in International Extemp, and #13 Kyle Letterer of Plano West Senior High School (TX) and #9 Dev Ahuja of Solon High School (OH) in United States Extemp. All extempers who were not seniors and who achieved an automatic qualification to next year’s nationals are indicated in the results listing in blue.

In terms of Tournament of Champions (TOC) qualifications for next year, all quarter-finalists in their respective categories earn a bid leg to the Extemp TOC at Northwestern University, while all finalists and semi-finalists earn an automatic qualification to next year’s University of Kentucky TOC.

Here are the results of the 2022 National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2022 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament: Kind Thwarts Veluvali’s Attempt at a Repeat, Clinches the National Points Race Championship

By geniao44446

On June 10, 2022

In Nationals Results

Two weeks ago in Washington, D.C. the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) held its first in-person national tournament since May 2019. #1 Daniel Kind of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) won the national championship by eight cumulative ranks, thwarting #4 Ananth Veluvali‘s attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the NCFL National Championship since 2011.

Kind’s victory is his first major championship, and it marks his seventh win at a National Points Race event this season. His win also clinches the National Points Race, the first time that title has been secured prior to NSDA Nationals in the competition’s history.

Veluvali, who competes for Edina High School, continued his impressive run in this year’s major championships. His runner-up finish at CFL goes with runner-up finishes at the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin and the Tournament of Champions of Extemporaneous Speaking this season.

Another Minnesotan joined Veluvali in the final round. That was Rhea Rajvansh of Eastview High School. Rajvansh finished two ranks behind Veluvali and took third.

#17 Mukta Dharmapurikar of Durham Academy (NC), a past winner of the Extemp TOC, reached the final round. She finished sixth after a three-way tie for fourth was broken between she and fourth place finisher Siri Ural of Shrewsbury High School (MA) and fifth place finisher Rishika Bansal of Scarsdale High School (NY).

Some notable finishers in elimination rounds included #23 Iesh Gujral of Eden Prairie High School (MN), who went out in semi-finals, and #19 Kevin Li of Ridge High School (NJ), who was knocked out in quarter-finals.

All of the elimination round participants will receive National Points Race points. All semi-finalists and finalists earn automatic qualifications to next year’s University of Kentucky TOC, and all those extempers who reached quarter-finals and beyond earn a bid leg to the 2023 Extemp TOC.

Here were the results of the 2022 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2021 NSDA National Tournament: Pattatathunaduvil Extends Plano West Domination in IX; Holley Brings South Carolina Its First National Championship in USX in Thrilling Finish; Dharmapurikar Creates IX Split

By geniao44446

On June 22, 2021

In Nationals Results

The 2021 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament wrapped up on Saturday, concluding five days of intensive competition and crowning two new national champions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSDA was forced to host the national championships online for the second consecutive year.

Pranav Pattatathunaduvil of Plano West Senior High School (TX) won the International Extemp National Championship, defeating Extemp TOC winner Mukta Dharmapurikar of Durham Academy (NC) by six ranks. Dharmapurikar won the final round by eight ranks over third place finisher, MBA Champion Katherine Rollins of the Potomac School (VA). After the two high and low judges were removed from composite rankings, she was able to cut six ranks from Pattatathunaduvil’s lead but it was not enough to claim the title. The split between the overall national champion and final round national champion is the first in International Extemp since 2017.

Pattatathunaduvil’s win marks an amazing streak of wins for Plano West in International Extemp, which has had three of its competitors win the category over the last four years. It is also the fourth straight year that the winner of International Extemp comes from Texas, a streak that is two years longer than any other state.

In United States Extemp, Laurel Holley of Riverside High School (SC) gave the state of South Carolina its first-ever extemporaneous speaking national championship. Holley mounted a comeback in the final round, winning it by an adjusted nine ranks and vaulting from fourth place in the pre-finals rankings to first. Holley’s final round showing was enough to win a tiebreaker over Gabriel Frank-McPheter of Gabrielino High School (CA) as both competitors ended the tournament with identical composite scores of 102.

William Chien of the Harker School (CA) led the competiton going into the final round, but fell back to fourth after finals ranks were added in.

CFL National Champion Ananth Veluvali of Edina High School (MN) was denied a chance to win CFL and NSDA national championships in the same season, a feat that has not been done since 2011. He finished fourth but took second in the final round.

Eight of the twelve finalists were non-seniors, earning qualification to next year’s national tournament in their respective category. They are indicated in the results listing in blue.

Here are the results of the 2021 National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2021 NSDA National Tournament: IX & USX Semi-Finalist Placings

By geniao44446

On June 19, 2021

In Nationals Results

Although we await the final placings in International and United States Extemp later this evening, NSDA has already named the exact placings of the semi-finalists in International and United States Extemp.

2021 NCFL Grand National Tournament: Veluvali Downs TOC Champion Dhamapurikar to Win National Championship

By geniao44446

On May 31, 2021

In Nationals Results

For the first time in two years, the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) was able to host its annual national tournament. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was held virtually from May 28-30.

Ananth Veluvali of Edina High School (MN) was crowned national champion, defeating TOC Champion Mukta Dhamapurikar of Durham Academy (NC) by seven composite ranks. Veluvali is the first Minnesota extemper to win the NCFL National Championship since Dylan Slinger of Lakeville South High School won back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011.

Another Minnesotan, Faye Zhang of Eastview High School (MN), finished in sixth place.

The final round was diverse, featuring competitors from five different states. In addition to the finishes above, Cade Savoy of Teurlings Catholic High School (LA) finished third, Rushikesh Kulkarni of Upper St. Clair High School (PA) finished fourth, and Karam Weigert of Woodrow Wilson High School (DC) finished fifth.

Several notable names fell just short of reaching the final round. These included Harvard Champion Daniel Kind of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) and MBA Round Robin Champion Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA).

The unorthodox 2020-2021 extemp season will come to a close in two weeks when the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament takes place online. The tournament kicks off on Monday, June 14 and will conclude on Saturday, June 19.

Here are the results of the 2021 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2016 NSDA Nationals: Sloane Denies Graham’s “Double” in IX; Cash Cruises in USX

By geniao44446

On June 17, 2016

In Nationals Results

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Two new national champions in International and United States Extemp were crowned a little more than an hour ago in Salt Lake City, Utah at the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament.

In International Extemp, Marshall Sloane narrowly overtook National Points Race winner Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) in the final round to win his first major championship. For the second consecutive year Graham carried a lead into the final round, but was once again upended by the final round winner as Sloane won it by six ranks (after high/low were dropped). This gave him a three rank margin of victory, thereby making him the first junior to win International Extemp in four years and the first Massachusetts extemper to win an NSDA extemp championship since 2008.

Graham was trying to become the fourth extemper in history to win the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) National Tournament and the NSDA National Tournament in the same season year. He ends his season by finishing second at three of the year’s four majors while winning one of them.

In United States Extemp, Micah Cash of Tulsa Washington High School (OK) cruised to a double-digit victory, assisted by an eleven rank win in the final round. Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX) placed second. Cash is the second extemper from Tulsa Washington to win U.S. Extemp in the last four years and his win gives the school three victories in the category over the last four NSDA national tournaments. A school has not had this level of dominance in an extemp category at NSDA since the IX/USX split in the mid-1980s.

Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) was the highest placing non-senior in U.S. Extemp. He finished the tournament in third plac

For the first time since 2011 the winners of each category won their respective final rounds, thereby preventing a “split” between the overall winner and the final round winner.

Here are the result from the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association National
Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2016 NSDA Nationals: IX & USX Semi-Finalist Placings

By geniao44446

On June 17, 2016

In Nationals Results

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2016 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament: Graham Finally Breaks Through in Dominating Fashion; Sunkara Makes Final Round for Second Consecutive Year

By geniao44446

On June 10, 2016

In Nationals Results

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After finishing runner-up at the last four major championships, Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) finally broke through by winning the 2016 National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament in Sacramento, California. The tournament was never in doubt as Graham captured twelve first place ranks (of fourteen available) from octofinals through the final round, thereby turning in one of the most dominant performances in NCFL history. Benjamin Hoffner-Brodsky of Davis Senior High School (CA) took advantage of the home field conditions and placed second.

Aside from Graham, Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC) reached the NCFL final round for the second consecutive season. Sunkara finished three spots better than last year, ending the tournament in third place.

Trinity Preparatory continued its run of solid performances in recent years, placing two competitors in finals. Along with Graham, Varun Bhatia of Trinity made it into the final round and placed sixth.

Kevin Bi of East Ridge High School (MN) and Justin Kang of Syosset High School (NY) rounded out the final round, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. It was the first national final round appearance for both competitors.

All of the competitors that reached the quarter-final round will receive National Points Race points. Graham will receive 100 points for his victory and he created more separation between himself and rivals Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ) and Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA). Balaji and Sloane were both eliminated in the quarter-final round. Balaji is the only competitor that can catch Graham in this year’s points race, but all Graham has to do at next week’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament is clear to octofinals to clinch the title.

Here are the results of the 2016 NCFL Grand National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2015 NSDA Nationals: Anderson’s Comeback Ends Kentucky’s Title Drought; U.S. Extemp Splits as Yu and Wartel Edge Out Sirot for Overall and Final Round National Championships

By geniao44446

On June 19, 2015

In Nationals Results

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After a thrilling five days of competition in Dallas, the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) wrapped up its annual national tournament by crowning new national champions in International and United States Extemp in some of the closest contests in recent memory.

Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School ended Kentucky’s twenty eight-year-long main event national championship drought by staging a come from behind victory in International Extemp. Anderson entered the final round ten ranks behind Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), but won the final round by five ranks over Alex Ye of Gabrielino High School (CA) to overtake Graham and win by two ranks. If Graham had won, Trinity Preparatory would have retained the International Extemp championship for the second consecutive year. Anderson is the first NSDA International Extemp champion to win the overall tournament and the final round since 2012. His win also marks the fourth time that a Kentucky extemper has either won or tied for first place in an NSDA extemp final since 2003.

By winning the final round, Anderson earned fifty National Points Race points and this broke what would have been a tie at the top of this year’s standings in his favor. Although Graham will finish runner-up in the National Points Race, he will get an opportunity to win the competition, as well as an NSDA national championship, next season. More details about the National Points Race, including complete rankings, will be provided next week.

Brian Yu of Monte Vista High School became his school’s first extemporaneous speaking national champion, edging out Jay Sirot of Montville Township High School (NJ) in a West Coast-East Coast clash of state champions by one rank. Yu, a three-time California state champion in United States Extemp, is the first California extemper to win the event since Evan Larson of Bellarmine College Preparatory did so in 2009.

Although Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA) came up short in his quest for a third major championship, he did end his carer by winning the United States Extemp final round national championship. Entering the final round six ranks behind Yu, Wartel made up three ranks and won the final round by judges’ preference over Sirot. However, he did not cut enough into Yu’s lead to win the overall national title. This marks the third time in six years that the winner of the final round in United States Extemp was not the overall winner of the tournament.

Here are the results of the 2015 NSDA National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

2015 NSDA Nationals: IX & USX Semi-Finalist Placings

By geniao44446

On June 19, 2015

In Nationals Results

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Included below are the rankings for the semi-finalists in International and United States Extemp at this year’s national tournament. Competitors that are highlighted in blue are non-seniors who have the option of automatically returning to next year’s national tournament in that same extemp category. What was very impressive was that two non-seniors – Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX) and Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) – finished seventh in International and United States Extemp, respectively.

2015 National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament: Liang “Wakes Up” to Win His First National Championship; Trinity Preparatory Places Two in the Final Round

By geniao44446

On May 26, 2015

In Nationals Results

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Yijia Liang of Upper Arlington High School (OH) ended the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament exactly where he began the season – in the winner’s circle – as he defeated the top two competitors in the National Points Race – Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) and Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY) – to win his first major championship. Liang’s victory is his second national circuit title of the season as he won the Wake Forest National Early Bird back in September. His win is the first time that an Ohio extemper has won the NCFL national title since Alex Draime of Howland High School took the crown in 2009.

Graham and Anderson tied for second place, but Graham had a cumulative score that was two ranks better than Anderson in the final round. This matters for the National Points Race as Graham will be able to enlarge his lead by fifteen points going into the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament.

Montville Township High School (NJ) placed an extemper in the final round for the second consecutive year, with Christopher Mayer coming within four places of repeating teammate Monica Coscia’s national winning performance at last year’s tournament.

Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC) finished the tournament in sixth place, becoming the first North Carolina extemp finalist at NCFL Nationals since 2011.

Trinity Preparatory School (FL) did quite well at the tournament, placing two competitors in the final round. Along with Graham’s runner-up performance, Nathaniel Saffran took fourth. This is the first time since 2009 that a school has had two extemp finalists at an NCFL National Tournament. Howland High School was the last school to accomplish the feat.

The tournament’s octo-final round also lived up to its cursed reputation as several prominent national competitors had their dreams of a national title end prematurely. Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA), who took third at last year’s tournament, was eliminated in octo-finals and was denied the opportunity to win the third leg of the Grand Slam. Yale Invitational winner Jasper Primack of Newton South High School (MA) and New York state champion Charlie Barton of Regis High School were also eliminated from the competition early Sunday morning.

Since the NCFL National Tournament is a third tier tournament in the National Points Race all of the competitor who reached the quarter-final round and beyond will earn points. If the Extemp TOC maintains its existing qualification system for next year, all of the underclassmen that reached the semi-final round will earn a leg for next year’s competition in Evanston, Illinois.

Here are the results of the 2015 NCFL Grand National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):