Category: NSDA News Page 1 of 3

After 12 rounds of competition only six competitors remain in United States Extemp and International Extemp at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa.

United States Extemp will take place at 2:30 p.m. CT on Friday, with International Extemp following at 3:45 p.m. CT. Final rounds for each event can be viewed via livestream provided by the NSDA at this link.

National Points Race leader Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) was eliminated in the quarter-finals of U.S. Extemp. This means that if Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) were to finish in the top 3 of International Extemp on Friday or finish fourth and win the final round, he would win this year’s National Points Race.

Extemp Central congratulates the following extempers for reaching finals in their respective category! An extemper’s National Points Race rank is indicated by their name, if applicable.

United States Extemp

*Brayson Holmes (Clark High School, Nevada)
*Saathvik Kannan (Columbia-Hickman High School, Missouri)
*Isabella Razdan (Lincoln East High School, Nebraska)
*Tea Shouldice (Half Hollow Hills High School East, New York)
*(12) Evelyn Tsoi (Arcadia High School, California)
*Ella Witalec (The Laurel School, Ohio)

International Extemp

*Anthony Babu (Concord-Carlisle High School, Massachusetts)
*(2) Brandon Cheng (Flintridge Preparatory School, California)
*Maximilian Guo (BASIS Independent – Silicon Valley, California)
*Ethem Gulcu (Monte Vista High School, California)
*Daniel Rupawalla (Tompkins High School, Texas)
*(17) Rohit Vakkalagadda (Bellarmine College Preparatory, California)

2022 NSDA National Tournament: Extemp Topic Areas Released!

By geniao44446

On May 1, 2022

In NSDA News

This morning, the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) posted extemp topic areas for the national tournament. This year’s national tournament will take place in Louisville, Kentucky from June 12-17.

Like last year, Extemp Central will start doing R&Ds for these topic areas in the weeks leading up to the national tournament to assist extempers in their preparation. So look for us to double up on R&Ds on Thursdays and Fridays for IX and USX starting next week.

Here are the topic areas for this year’s national tournament:

2021 NSDA National Tournament: Order of Extemp Topic Areas Released!

By geniao44446

On June 13, 2021

In National Circuit News, NSDA News

The National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) recently released the order of its extemp topic areas for this year’s national tournament, which kicks off tomorrow and will take place online for the second consecutive year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Extemp competitors will start this year’s tournament with a round zero at 10 a.m. CST on Tuesday. The tournament will break to the top 102 competitors in international and United States extemp on Wednesday afternoon following five preliminary rounds. Extemp Central hopes to provide some live coverage of the tournament based on the information that the NSDA releases about outround participants. We are planning to do some live coverage of the final rounds on Saturday as well.

The order of this year’s extemp categories can be found below. Extempers are encouraged to use the R&Ds that were posted over the last two weeks to bolster their files and reading for the competition. These can be more easily accessed by clicking on the R&D, International Extemp, and/or U.S. Extemp categories on the right.

Extemp Central wishes the best of luck to all of the extempers competing in this year’s nationals and congratulates them for qualifying.

2016 NSDA Nationals: IX Final Round Preview

By geniao44446

On June 16, 2016

In International Extemp, NSDA News

[fblike]

This year’s International Extemp final round at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament will feature the top three competitors in the National Points Race, one of whom is attempting to become just the fourth extemper in history to win the NCFL and NSDA national championships in the same calendar year. The round also features the winners of two of the year’s major tournaments and four state champions. Whereas United States Extemp is dominated by Southwestern states this year, International Extemp is heavily populated by extempers from the East Coast.

The International Extemp final round will follow the U.S. Extemp final, scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. EST tomorrow. The NSDA will live stream the competition and Logan Scisco and Josh Wartel will break down the round after it concludes. Extempers are also invited to make their comments about the round when tomorrow’s post-round commentary is posted.

2016 NSDA Nationals: USX Final Round Preview

By geniao44446

On June 16, 2016

In NSDA News, U.S. Extemp

[fblike]

Tomorrow’s United States Extemp final round holds great potential tomorrow, as all six competitors are ranked in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race. The round will feature the winners of some of the year’s biggest national circuit competitions and four state champions. All of the participants were also competitors at this year’s Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin, producing what might be the first all-MBA final in National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) history.

The round will take place at 11:30 a.m. EST tomorrow, with the NSDA live streaming the competition. Extemp Central will provide a recap once it concludes, with Logan Scisco and Josh Wartel, both of whom were U.S. Extemp final round national champions (2003 and 2015), providing insight. Additional comments are welcome in the comment section.

2016 NSDA Nationals: Friday’s Finalists Are Announced!

By geniao44446

On June 15, 2016

In NSDA News

[fblike]

The field for Friday’s final rounds of International and United States Extemp at the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament have been set in Salt Lake City, Utah with six competitors in each category outlasting more than 200 of their fellow competitors.

International Extemp made history as the top three competitors in the National Points Race – Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), and Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA) – all advanced to Friday’s finals. This is the first time since the National Points Race debuted in 2008-2009 that an NSDA final round will include the top three ranked extempers. Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX) successfully went one round farther than she did last year, breaking through into the NSDA final round for the first time. Also advancing were Charlie Barton of Regis High School (NY) and Nikhil Ramaswamy of Jasper High School (TX). Ramaswamy and Sloane are the two non-senior extempers in the final round.

United States Extemp is also shaping up to be a tough, competitive round in its own right. In fact, all of the extempers in the final round are in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race, which is the first time that this has occurred. Those advancing were Glenbrooks champion Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), two-time St. Mark’s winner Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Harvard winner Katherine Hu of Plano Senior High School (TX), Extemp TOC champion Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), and Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA). Hu, Thompson, and Xu are the non-seniors competing in the USX final. Webb will be making his second appearance in an NSDA final round.

One of the notables that did not advance was Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC). Sunkara was ranked seventh in the National Points Race and was trying to make the final rounds of both national tournaments this year. Graham was the only extemper to accomplish that feat this season. However, Sunkara will have another crack at finaling next year as she is not a senior.

According to the NSDA’s final round schedule, the final round of U.S. Extemp will take place at 11:30 a.m. EST and International Extemp will follow at 1:00 p.m. EST. The final rounds will be streamed live and extempers can watch them at this link. Extemp Central will provide a recap of the final rounds after they conclude, and as we announced on our Facebook and Twitter pages, Josh Wartel, two-time major champion and last year’s U.S. Extemp final round national champion, will provide additional insight into the rounds.

Check back late tomorrow afternoon for Extemp Central’s preview of each final round.

2016 NSDA Nationals: Fourteen Remain in IX & USX; Two 2015 Semi-Finalists Drop in Quarter-Finals

By geniao44446

On June 15, 2016

In NSDA News

[fblike]

After ten rounds, International and United States Extemp have only fourteen competitors remaining. Six competitors will be left standings after the next two rounds and will be this year’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) national finalists for 2016. The next two rounds will feature five judge panels and two minute cross-examination.

The top three competitors in this year’s National Points Race stayed alive in International Extemp. Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), who was a semi-finalist in IX two years ago, returns to the round of eleven, while Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA) is in the midst of his deepest run at the NSDA National Tournament. Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) also advanced. In addition, Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX), who placed seventh at last year’s nationals in IX, returns to the semi-final round for the second consecutive year. However, quarter-finals was not as kind to other members of the National Points Race as Jarrek Holmes of Kent Denver School (CO), Christopher Mayer of Montville Township High School (NJ), and California Invitational winner Matthew Zheng of Mira Loma High School (CA) failed to advance. Also, Roman Shemakov of McClintock High School (AZ), who placed eleventh in IX at last year’s nationals, was eliminated.

United States Extemp also had its fair share of notable eliminations, with two of the biggest coming from Trinity Preparatory. National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) finalist Varun Bhatia was knocked out, as was Nathaniel Saffran, who was a seventh place finisher in USX at last year’s nationals. Major names remained alive, though, such as Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), who is seeking another opportunity to speak in the final round, Harvard winner Katherine Hu of Plano Senior High School (TX), Extemp TOC champion Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA), and last year’s semi-finalists Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX) and Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK).

Texas is the state with the most semi-finalists, with five competitors advancing to round eleven. California had the second-largest contingent with four.

Ten non-seniors qualified for the semi-final round, meaning that they will receive automatic qualifications to next year’s NSDA National Tournament. These competitors, who are listed in blue below, will also receive automatic qualifications to the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC) next year in Lexington, Kentucky.

2016 NSDA Nationals: Quarter-Finalist Breaks Are Announced; 2015 USX Finalist Eliminated

By geniao44446

On June 15, 2016

In NSDA News

[fblike]

For our East Coast readers it is a very late night, but quarter-finalists in International and United States Extemp at the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament have just been announced in Salt Lake City, Utah. These competitors have a grueling day ahead of them tomorrow, with every round carrying significant meaning for overall placing. There will be two quarter-final rounds, with the top fourteen competitors advancing to two rounds of semi-finals. The announcement of the six Friday finalists in each event will take place late tomorrow afternoon, so tomorrow is “moving day” at the national tournament as extempers will want to position themselves into the top six, but also within striking distance to take home the national title on Friday.

Some extempers in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race were eliminated after round eight in International Extemp. Andrew Langford of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) and Olivia Shoemaker of Lakeville North High School (MN), ranked seventeenth and twentieth, respectively, in this year’s rankings ended their run in this year’s national tournament. Last year’s finalist Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory (FL) continues his quest for a “double crown” of national championships, while last year’s semi-finalists Roman Shemakov of McClintock High School (AZ) and Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX) remain alive and will hope to reach the final round stage tomorrow.

The big news on the U.S. Extemp side was the elimination of Shawn Kant of Ridge High School (NJ). Kant placed fourth at last year’s national tournament and was ranked twenty-ninth in this year’s National Points Race. Several major names advanced in the category, though, with Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), and Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA) all clearing to tomorrow’s elimination rounds.

All of the underclassmen that reached the quarter-final round have earned one of two qualifying legs for next year’s Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University. Underclassmen that cleared to quarter-finalists – there were twenty-seven in total – are identified in blue below.

2016 NSDA Nationals: First Breaks Are Posted; International and United States Extemp Are Pared Down to Sixty; Graham Clinches the National Points Race

By geniao44446

On June 14, 2016

In NSDA News

[fblike]

According to Extemp Central’s unofficial calculations, 242 extempers competed in International Extemp and 252 extempers competed in United States Extemp at this year’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah. The fields of both categories have now been reduced to sixty for the tournament’s octo-final rounds. An announcement of the thirty extempers in each event that cleared to quarter-finals will be made later this evening.

The biggest news from the first break is that Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), who is competing in International Extemp, has clinched the 2015-2016 National Points Race by virtue of clearing to the octo-final round. Graham was joined in the International Extemp break by other National Points Race notables such as Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA), and Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC).

In United States Extemp, two of last year’s finalists remain alive as Shawn Kant of Ridge High School (NJ) and Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX) advanced. They have significant company in the field, though, as Extemp TOC Champion Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA) is competing in the category, as are other major competitors of the national circuit such as Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Harvard winner Katherine Hu of Plano Senior High School (TX), Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), and Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory.

International Extemp will receive the bonus for the National Points Race at this year’s NSDA National Tournament as well, as more extempers in the top twenty-five are competing in that category.

There were quite a few underclassmen – fifty-eight in total – that qualified for elimination rounds at this year’s nationals. Thirty-three underclassmen cleared in International Extemp and twenty-five cleared in United States Extemp. They are highlighted in blue below.

Competitors that are currently ranked in the National Points Race have their ranking designated by their name. A competitor without this designation was unranked before NSDA Nationals. All of the competitors that made octofinals will receive National Points Race points.

2015 NSDA Nationals: International Extemp Final Round Preview

By geniao44446

On June 18, 2015

In NSDA News

[fblike]

Possessing the National Points Race bonus at this year’s NSDA Nationals, International Extemp has been a brutal fight through twelve rounds. The thirteenth and final round, which will be contested at 11:00 a.m. CST on Friday, will determine not only the 2015 NSDA International Extemp National Champion, but also the winner of the 2014-2015 National Points Race. Extemp Central will provide a brief recap of the final round after it concludes.

The following preview is designed to let readers know a little about each of the participants in this year’s final round, which features three of the top ten extempers in the National Points Race. The final round also features four state champions and its competitors share eight TOC qualifying tournament titles and twenty-seven 2014-2015 national circuit final round appearances.

2015 NSDA Nationals: USX Final Round Preview

By geniao44446

On June 18, 2015

In NSDA News

[fblike]

The first of two extemp categories on Friday’s main event schedule, United States Extemp will take place at 9:30 a.m. CST. As usual, Extemp Central will provide a short recap of the round after it concludes.

The following preview is designed to let readers know a little about each of the participants in this year’s field. This year’s final features two returning finalists, one of whom is in the final round for the third consecutive year. Four of the competitors have a state championship to their credit (with two competitors winning their state’s extemp title three times) and the final round extempers have three TOC qualifying titles and twelve TOC qualifying tournament final round appearances to their credit.

2015 NSDA Nationals: Friday’s Finals Are Set!

By geniao44446

On June 17, 2015

In NSDA News

[fblike]

Roughly thirty minutes ago, the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) posted the finalists in International and United States Extemp for the 2016 national tournament. Competitors will enjoy a day off tomorrow, but will resume competing on Friday morning. The United States Extemp final will be contested at 9:30 a.m. CST, while International Extemp will take place shortly after that round at 11:00 a.m. CST. Both final rounds should be live streamed and Extemp Central will provide that information as it is forthcoming.

The final round of International Extemp appears to be a strong one as it will feature several national circuit champions, state winners, and four competitors in the top fifteen of the National Points Race. Rohan Dhoopar of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) will be making his second consecutive appearance in the IX final and fellow Californian Alex Ye of Gabrielino High School, who was a semi-finalist at last year’s nationals, will join him there. Florida will have two finalists as well, with National Points Race leader Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School and Noah Wexler of Nova Senior High School aiming to keep the IX championship in the Sunshine State. Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY), the winner of the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC) last month, and Glenbrooks winner Jack Glaser of George Washington High School (CO) will also be in the final round. Graham will be the only non-senior in the IX final.

International Extemp’s results further narrows National Points Race possibilities as fourth-ranked Eitan Sapiro-Gheiler of Durham Academy (NC) was eliminated, thereby leaving only Graham, Anderson, and Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA) to contest the championship. Scenarios for the National Points Race will be released tomorrow.

The United States Extemp final should also be competitive as all of the competitors that are participating in it are ranked in the top forty of the National Points Race. Josh Wartel and Brian Yu of Monte Vista High School (CA) will be appearing in the USX final again, with Wartel making his third consecutive appearance. New Jersey is the only state with multiple extempers in the USX final thanks to the efforts of Harvard runner-up Shawn Kant of Ridge High School and New Jersey United States Extemp State Champion Jay Sirot of Montville Township High School. Vishal Narayanaswamy of James Madison Memorial High School (WI) will be in this year’s final, improving on his seventh place finish at last year’s nationals, and Texas Forensic Association (TFA) U.S. Extemp winner Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall will join Kant as the other non-senior in the championship round.

United States Extemp could have had an even more stacked final round if a few ranks had changed as several other highly touted competitors did not make the final cut. Jasper Primack of Newton South High School (MA), who won Yale and the New York City Invitational this year, ended up one round shy of making the U.S. Extemp final for the second consecutive year. Other notables that dropped in semi-finals included California Invitational winner Ethan Hu of Leland High School (CA), Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), and Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK).

Check back tomorrow for some small capsules on each of this year’s NSDA finalists as well as how Friday’s final rounds will affect the National Points Race.

2015 NSDA Nationals: Semi-Finals Postings Go Up, Big Names in IX Go Down

By geniao44446

On June 17, 2015

In NSDA News

[fblike]

Fourteen extempers remain in International and United States Extemp. Two more rounds this afternoon will trim the field of each event down to six for Friday and competitors will add ten ranks to their cumulative scores.

As was expected, the quarter-final round of International Extemp eliminated some of the season’s highest ranked extempers. There will not be a “double crown” winner this year as NCFL National Champion Yijia Liang of Upper Arlington High School (OH) was eliminated, as was MBA Exhibition Round Champion Phoebe Lin of Plano West Senior High School (TX). It was reported to us late yesterday that Liang, Lin, Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY), Rohan Dhoopar of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA), and Noah Wexler of Nova Senior High School (FL) would be facing off in round nine and it appears as if that round was a primary cause of Liang and Lin’s elimination. Other notables to be eliminated from International Extemp include Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), who finished seventh in the category last year, and Patrick Wilson of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), who was ranked twenty-second in the National Points Race.

An interesting storyline is also unfolding in IX as Minnesota’s 2A state champion, Varoon Pazhyanur of Eastview High School, has advanced, giving the state a way to retain its final round championship in the category.

The United States Extemp field remained steady through ten rounds, with last year’s trio of finalists – Jasper Primack of Newton South High School (MA), Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA), and Brian Yu of Monte Vista High School (CA) – all advancing. Other National Points Race notables that advanced include Shawn Kant of Ridge High School (NJ), Vishal Narayanaswamy of James Madison Memorial High School (WI), Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), and Jay Sirot of Montville Township High School (NJ). The one major casualty from quarter-finals was Thomas Abel of the Delbarton School (NJ). Abel is currently ranked seventeenth in the National Points Race and finished third at the Barkley Forum in January.

Booker T. Washington High School’s hopes of winning a third straight U.S. Extemp championship also remain alive as junior Micah Cash advanced. Cash is the reigning Oklahoma U.S. Extemp Class 6A state champion, picking up where teammate Arel Rende left off, and NSDA may mirror that pattern.

Eight underclassmen made it to the semi-final round, with three making it in International Extemp and five making it in United States Extemp. Due to their performance, they have automatically qualified to next year’s NSDA National Tournament. They also automatically qualify to the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions assuming that tournament retains the same qualification procedures. The underclassmen extempers that advanced are Justin Graham, Roman Shemakov of McClintock High School (AZ), and Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX) in International Extemp and Micah Cash, Shawn Kant, Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), Nathaniel Saffran, and Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX) in United States Extemp. Congratulations to these extempers and their coaches.

2015 NSDA Nationals: The National Points Race Narrows as Thirty Remain in IX & USX

By geniao44446

On June 16, 2015

In NSDA News

[fblike]

The National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) has just released the names of the thirty competitors who will advance to the third day of competition in International and United States Extemp. By tomorrow evening this number will be reduced to six in each event and we will know what the 2015 NSDA final rounds will look like.

A few notable names were eliminated in the octo-final round of International Extemp. Davis Larkin of the Parish Episcopal School (TX), Andrew Langford of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL), and Vinesh Kannan of the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IL), all of whom are ranked in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race, were knocked out the tournament. Kannan and Larkin had finished second and third, respectively, at the Extemp TOC last month.

United States Extemp was largely immune from seeing big names fall with the exception of Jacob Levenson of Nova Senior High School (FL), who is ranked twenty-fourth in the National Points Race.

The advancement of National Points Race leader Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) to tomorrow’s quarter-final rounds means that Phoebe Lin of Plano West Senior High School (TX) and Noah Wexler of Nova are mathematically eliminated from the competition. Graham’s advancement also constrains some of the mathematical odds for other competitors. If Graham were to drop before round eleven tomorrow, Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY) would need to get into the IX final round to overtake him, while Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA) would need to finish in the top two of USX or finish third and win the final round to do so. Eitan Sapiro-Gheiler of Durham Academy (NC) would also have to win IX or finish second and win the final round to have a chance and Yijia Liang of Upper Arlington High School OH), whose chances of a “double crown” remain alive, would have to accomplish that feat or finish second in IX and win the final round. There is still a lot of mathematical complexity surrounding how the National Points Race could turn out and more detailed scenarios will be given once Friday’s final rounds are revealed.

In total, twenty-one of the fifty-one underclassmen that broke to octo-finals made it to the quarter-final round. Any underclassmen, who are denoted in blue below, who reach the semi-finals tomorrow afternoon will automatically qualify to the 2016 NSDA National Tournament and earn an automatic berth in the 2016 University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC). All of the underclassmen competitors who qualified for the quarter-finals also earn a leg to the 2016 Extemp TOC at Northwestern University.

2015 NSDA Nationals: Octo-Finalists Posted!

By geniao44446

On June 16, 2015

In NSDA News

[fblike]

According to Extemp Central’s unofficial calculations, this year’s NSDA National Tournament attracted 487 extempers, with 242 extempers competing in International Extemp and 245 in United States Extemp. This is three more total extempers than last year’s national tournament. International Extemp is six entries larger than last year, while U.S. Extemp was down three entries. This fluctuation is due to the NSDA’s automatic qualification system for underclassmen finalists and semi-finalists.

The first six rounds of the tournament featured no surprises as all seven competitors in the hunt for the National Points Race remain alive. As the tournament progresses, Extemp Central will provide updates as to how the National Points Race is being affected. One of the big stories to watch at this point is that if Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) reaches the quarter-final round then that mathematically eliminates Phoebe Lin of Plano West Senior High School (TX) and Noah Wexler of Nova Senior High School (FL) from the competition as Lin and Wexler would be unable to overtake Graham even if they won the tournament and the final round title.

All four competitors that reached last year’s final rounds – Rohan Dhoopar of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) in International Extemp and Jasper Primack of Newton South High School (MA), Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA), and Brian Yu of Monte Vista High School (CA) in United States Extemp – cleared to octo-finals.

While there fifty-one underclassmen that broke to elimination rounds at this year’s national tournament, no freshman competitors did so.

Extempers will compete in their two octo-final rounds this afternoon and the NSDA will release the names of the thirty quarter-finalists later this evening.

Below is a complete listing of this year’s octo-finalists. All of these competitors will receive National Points Race points. Finalists from last year are indicated in red, while underclassmen octofinalists are indicated in blue. A competitor’s pre-NSDA National Points Race ranking is also indicated by their name. Those extempers who are not ranked will not have any designation.