Extemp Central

Last week, Yale University held its annual Yale Invitational in New Haven, Connecticut. 99 extempers attended this year’s competition, representing prominent schools on both coasts.

Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ) won her second consecutive national circuit title of the year, winning the cumulative tournament by four ranks over April Zhang of Neuqua Valley High School (IL). Zhang captured two ones in the final round but a fourth and fifth place rank cost her the title.

This is the third time that Ridge High School has won the Yale extemp title in the last ten years.  James Gao won it for the school in 2019. That was the last Yale title won by an extemper other than McKinley Paltzik, who won three straight titles between 2020 and 2022.

Cao’s win is also the first time that an extemper has won both season opening national circuit tournaments since Miles Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL).  In 2013 Saffran won the Wake Forest National Early Bird and Yale in a campaign that ended with a national championship in International Extemp at NSDA Nationals.

Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) reached her second national circuit final round of the season, placing third, eight ranks behind Cao and four behind Zhang. Peddi was a fourth place finisher at the UK National Speech and Debate Season Opener last month.

Shrewsbury High School had two extempers reach the final round. Vishnu Angiras placed fourth and Vasu Lakshmanan finished fifth. Angiras and Lakshmanan tied with a 42 composite score but Angiras did two ranks better in the final round.

The sixth place finisher was Akshaya Karanam of Mount Saint Mary’s Academy (NJ).

Siri Ural of Shrewsbury, who finished last season in the top 25 of the National Points Race after placing fifth at NSDA Nationals in International Extemp, was also in the field. Ural was eliminated in the octa-final round.

Since Yale is a fourth tier tournament in the National Points Race, all of the extempers that reached the semi-final round and beyond will earn points. The first standings will be posted by the end of the week.

Here are the results of the 2023 Yale Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

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43 extempers kicked off the 2023-2024 national circuit season last weekend in NSDA Campus when the University of Kentucky hosted the seventh edition of its National Speech and Debate Season Opener. The tournament was a fifth tier event in the Extemp Central National Points Race.

Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ), who placed eighth in last year’s National Points Race, took three first place ranks in the final round and won the tournament by four over Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA).

Cao’s teammate, Aparna Iyer, took third place. Iyer finished nine ranks back of Cao but was five ranks ahead of Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ).

Sumedh Seetharam of Scottsdale Preparatory Academy (AZ) and Daniel Song of East Ridge High School (MN) finished the final round tied for fifth. Seetharam won a judges’ preference tiebreaker 3-2.

Cao’s victory is the second time that a New Jersey extemper has won the Season Opener. In 2020, Caroline Xie of Princeton High School won the title in the first year that the tournament went online.

Since the Season Opener was a fifth tier event, all of the finalists will receive National Points Race points. Cao will earn 40 points for her win. The first standings of the National Points Race will be posted after the Yale Invitational at the end of the month.

Here are the results of the 2023 National Speech and Debate Season Opener (Click here for tab sheet):

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