[fblike]
The finals postings have dropped at the 2014 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament and we now know who will be competing in the International and United States Extemp finals on Friday morning. After competing for twelve rounds, all of the finalists will have tomorrow off to rest.
Throughout the entire tournament, the top five of last year’s final round of United States Extemp continued to trudge forward, but semi-finals completely blew up the idea of having anything resembling last year’s final round. Three of last year’s finalists, all of whom placed second through fourth, will not be appearing in Friday’s final. Christopher Jordan of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ), Chase Harrison of Millburn High School (NJ), and Adam Stromme of Eagan High School (MN) were eliminated after round twelve. Also eliminated was Nida Ansari of Riverside High School (SC), who was the only remaining female competitor in the event.
These eliminations do not mean that Friday’s USX final will not be interesting. Arel Rende of Booker T. Washington High School (OK) will have an opportunity to defend his national title. He will square off against a geographically diverse field that includes Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA), who placed fifth at last year’s nationals. Jasper Primack of Newton South High School (MA), the George Mason University Patriot Games winner in December, and two-time California USX state champion Brian Yu of Monte Vista High School (CA) are other notables in the final. Rounding out the USX final are Arizona Division I state champion Joe Russell of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ) and Winston Churchill USX champion Cosmo Albrecht of Robert E. Lee High School (TX).
In International Extemp, Lily Nellans of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) will square off with Miles Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) for the last time in a 2013-2014 final round. Nellans will be participating in her third consecutive NSDA extemp final round. Three of the other speakers in the round are Montgomery Extemp Round Robin alumni: Isabella Paretti of Cypress Bay High School (FL), Rohan Dhoopar of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA), and Gabe Slater of Denver East High School (CO). Rounding out the field will be Dylan Adelman of Lakeville South High School (MN), who just barely missed out on last year’s final round and placed seventh.
No school managed to get more than one extemper into this year’s final rounds across both categories. California and Florida each have two finalists, which is more than any other state.
On Friday, the U.S. Extemp final will kick off at 9:30 a.m. CST and will be followed by the International Extemp final round at 11:00 a.m. Both rounds are being streamed online by the NSDA at this link. Time permitting, Extemp Central will provide a breakdown of all of this year’s finalists tomorrow.
Extemp Central congratulates all of the finalists on their accomplishment and wishes them the best of luck on Friday morning.
International Extemp
*Dylan Adelman (Lakeville South High School, Minnesota)
*Rohan Dhoopar (Bellarmine College Preparatory, California)
*Lily Nellans (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
*Isabella Paretti (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
*Miles Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Gabe Slater (Denver East High School, Colorado)
United States Extemp
*Cosmo Albrecht (Robert E. Lee High School, Texas)
*Jasper Primack (Newton South High School, Massachusetts)
*Arel Rende (Booker T. Washington High School, Oklahoma)
*Joe Russell (Brophy College Preparatory, Arizona)
*Josh Wartel (Lake Braddock Secondary School, Virginia)
*Brian Yu (Monte Vista High School, California)