For the third straight year, the National and Debate Season Opener, hosted by the University of Kentucky, took place in a virtual environment. The first national circuit event in the country in the National Points Race drew a field of twenty-eight extempers, representing ten states.
Charlotte Reitman of the University School (FL) won a very close final round, winning the tiebreaker of judge’s preference two-to-one over Evelyn Tsoi of Velasquez Academy (CA). Guhan Krishnan of Mason High School (OH) finished one rank behind Reitman and Tsoi.
Lahari Donepudi of Dublin Jerome High School (OH) and Matthew Abrahms of George Washington High School (CO) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, and each earned a first place rank in the final round.
Sam Kang of the Hawken School (OH) rounded out the final round, finishing sixth.
Reitman’s victory nets her forty National Points Race points as the Season Opener is a fifth tier tournament. The first National Points Race standings will be released after the Yale Invitational in early October.
Here are the results of the 2022 National Speech and Debate Season Opener (Click here for tab sheet):