[fblike]
The North Carolina Tarheel Forensic League (TFL) held its 2014 state championship tournament last weekend at Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Jacob McHugh of Ardrey Kell edged two-time defending champion Mark Cohen of Durham Academy by one rank in the final round to capture his first state championship. McHugh earned two first place ranks in the fnal round versus one earned by Cohen and his victory ends Durham Academy’s four-year winning streak in extemporaneous speaking at the state tournament. Cohen was aiming to become the first three-time state champion in North Carolina history. Elizabeth Kingaby of Central Cabarrus High School, who took fourth at the Barkley Forum in January, placed third. Despite having their winning streak at the state tournament ended, Durham Academy still placed more elimination round participants (6) than any school and had three finalists.
North Carolina has been busy on the national circuit this year and all of the final round participants at this year’s state tournament were previously qualified to this year’s Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University. As a result, no automatic bids to this year’s TOC were given.
Here are the results of the 2014 North Carolina Tarheel Forensic League State Championship (Click here for tab sheet):
Champion: Jacob McHugh (Ardrey Kell High School)
2nd: Mark Cohen (Durham Academy)
3rd: Elizabeth Kingaby (Central Cabarrus High School)
4th: Connor Leech (Durham Academy)
5th: Eitan Sapiro-Gheiler (Durham Academy)
6th: Matt Couch (Myers Park High School)
Semi-Finalists
*Nathaniel Brooke (Durham Academy)
*Madison Carr (North Mecklenburg High School)
*Jackson Dellinger (Durham Academy)
*Abhishek Kodumagulla (Durham Academy)
*Bharat Modi (Cary Academy)
*Rachel Pomerantz (Providence High School)
Extemp Central thanks the Tarheel Forensic League for putting the results of the tournament online.