2015 Florida Blue Key: Graham Dominates Both Halves, Increases National Points Race Lead

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At this year’s Florida Blue Key, National Points Race leader Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) routed the competition, decisively winning both extemp categories. Graham cruised to an easy victory in International Extemp, picket fencing the final round and defeating Jacob Levenson of Nova Senior High School (FL) by eight ranks. In United States Extemp, Graham took four of the five available first place ranks in the final round and defeated Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) by six ranks.  This was the second consecutive year that Graham won the U.S. Extemp portion of the tournament.

Despite the fact that Blue Key allows for extempers to double enter, Graham and Levenson were the only extempers to final in both categories. This made the awarding of National Points Race points less clear, but the top six extempers throughout the whole tournament will receive credit. Graham will receive forty points for the tournament, thereby allowing him to add to his National Points Race lead.

Here are the results of the 2015 Florida Blue Key (Click here for tab sheet):

International Extemp

Champion: Justin Graham (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
2nd: Jacob Levenson (Nova Senior High School, Florida)
3rd: Kendra Blandon (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
4th: Jack Yan (Dreyfoos School for the Arts, Florida)
5th: Andrew Langford (Lake Highland Preparatory School, Florida)
6th: Varun Bhatia (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)

Semi-Finalists

*Ben Carry (Pine View School, Florida)
*Justin Cooper (Scarsdale High School, New York)
*Jose Nicholas Francisco (St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Florida)
*Samantha Koreman (University School, Florida)
*Jacob Thompson (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
*Bradley Wascher (St. James School, Alabama)

Quarter-Finalists

*William Atchisson (Nova Senior High School, Florida)
*Eleanor Bock (Nova Senior High School, Florida)
*Daniel Drane (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
*Manisha Dubey (Ardrey Kell High School, North Carolina)
*Gus Duran (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
*Riley J. Freese (Dreyfoos School for the Arts, Florida)
*Daniel Gamboa (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
*Michael Groves (Suncoast High School, Florida)
*Dylan Lough (Nova Senior High School, Florida)
*Yasmine Nousari (St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Florida)
*Aaron Patel (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Sana Rahman (Pine View School, Florida)
*Nathaniel Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Divya Vijayskumar (Cary Academy, North Carolina)
*Michael Wang (Dreyfoos School for the Arts, Florida)
*William Wang (Pine View School, Florida)

United States Extemp

Champion: Justin Graham (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
2nd: Jacob Thompson (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
3rd: Nathaniel Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
4th: Jacob Levenson (Nova Senior High School, Florida)
5th: Justin Cooper (Scarsdale High School, New York)
6th: Brian Levy (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)

Semi-Finalists

*Varun Bhatia (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Eleanor Bock (Nova Senior High School, Florida)
*Tom Rollins (The Potomac School, Virginia)
*Michael Wang (Dreyfoos School for the Arts, Florida)
*Bradley Wascher (Saint James School, Alabama)
*Jack Yan (Dreyfoos School for the Arts, Florida)

Quarter-Finalists

*Kendra Blandon (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
*Daniel Drane (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
*Manisha Dubey (Ardrey Kell High School, North Carolina)
*Gus Duran (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
*Jose Nicholas Francisco (St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Florida)
*Riley J. Freese (Dreyfoos School for the Arts, Florida)
*Michael Groves (Suncoast High School, Florida)
*Andrew Langford (Lake Highland Preparatory School, Florida)
*Alexandra Lipton (Trinity Preparatory SChool, Florida)
*Emma McCaleb (Battleground Academy, Tennessee)
*Max Mickenberg (Cooper City High School, Florida)
*Yasmine Nousari (St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Florida)
*Aaron Patel (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Saahas Rajendran (American Heritage High School, Florida)
*Laura Rodriguez (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
*Camila Tussie (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)

National Points Race

1st: Justin Graham (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida) – 2 pts.
2nd: Jacob Levenson (Nova Senior High School, Florida)- 10 pts.
3rd: Jacob Thompson (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa) – 18 pts.
4th: Jack Yan (Dreyfoos School for the Arts, Florida) – 22 pts.
5th: Justin Cooper (Scarsdale High School, New York) – 24 pts.
6th: Varun Bhatia (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida) – 25 pts.

Next Out: Kendra Blandon (Cypress Bay High School, Florida) – 30 pts.
Next Out: Nathaniel Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida) – 30 pts.

Extemp Central thanks the University of Florida for putting the results online.

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