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Fifty-two extempers arrived on the campus of Columbia University in New York City last weekend for the annual Columbia Invitational. George Mason University Patriot Games Champion Jasper Primack of Newton South High School (MA) netted his second TOC qualifying tournament victory of the season in dominating fashion, winning by thirteen ranks with a cumulative score of fifteen. Graham Piro of Iona Preparatory School (NY) took second. Last year’s Columbia champion, Gabe Ferrante, went on to win the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament, so one wonders if the tournament will have a correct prognostication for the second straight year.
All of the extempers who reached elimination rounds earned a qualifying leg to the 2014 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University. Seven extempers – Teresa Chen of Stuyvesant High School (NY), Justin Cooper and Devon Kerr of Scarsdale High School (NY), Michael Faucher of Regis High School (NY), Johnathan Neshiwat of Iona Preparatory, Collin Quigley of Holy Ghost Preparatory (PA), and Ryan Ward of Natick High School (MA) – completed their at-large TOC qualification, while five other extempers earned their first TOC qualifying leg. All extempers who earned a qualifying leg are indicated in italics in the results listing.
Here are the results of the 2014 Columbia Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):