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Roughly thirty minutes ago, the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) posted the finalists in International and United States Extemp for the 2016 national tournament. Competitors will enjoy a day off tomorrow, but will resume competing on Friday morning. The United States Extemp final will be contested at 9:30 a.m. CST, while International Extemp will take place shortly after that round at 11:00 a.m. CST. Both final rounds should be live streamed and Extemp Central will provide that information as it is forthcoming.
The final round of International Extemp appears to be a strong one as it will feature several national circuit champions, state winners, and four competitors in the top fifteen of the National Points Race. Rohan Dhoopar of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) will be making his second consecutive appearance in the IX final and fellow Californian Alex Ye of Gabrielino High School, who was a semi-finalist at last year’s nationals, will join him there. Florida will have two finalists as well, with National Points Race leader Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School and Noah Wexler of Nova Senior High School aiming to keep the IX championship in the Sunshine State. Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY), the winner of the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC) last month, and Glenbrooks winner Jack Glaser of George Washington High School (CO) will also be in the final round. Graham will be the only non-senior in the IX final.
International Extemp’s results further narrows National Points Race possibilities as fourth-ranked Eitan Sapiro-Gheiler of Durham Academy (NC) was eliminated, thereby leaving only Graham, Anderson, and Josh Wartel of Lake Braddock Secondary School (VA) to contest the championship. Scenarios for the National Points Race will be released tomorrow.
The United States Extemp final should also be competitive as all of the competitors that are participating in it are ranked in the top forty of the National Points Race. Josh Wartel and Brian Yu of Monte Vista High School (CA) will be appearing in the USX final again, with Wartel making his third consecutive appearance. New Jersey is the only state with multiple extempers in the USX final thanks to the efforts of Harvard runner-up Shawn Kant of Ridge High School and New Jersey United States Extemp State Champion Jay Sirot of Montville Township High School. Vishal Narayanaswamy of James Madison Memorial High School (WI) will be in this year’s final, improving on his seventh place finish at last year’s nationals, and Texas Forensic Association (TFA) U.S. Extemp winner Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall will join Kant as the other non-senior in the championship round.
United States Extemp could have had an even more stacked final round if a few ranks had changed as several other highly touted competitors did not make the final cut. Jasper Primack of Newton South High School (MA), who won Yale and the New York City Invitational this year, ended up one round shy of making the U.S. Extemp final for the second consecutive year. Other notables that dropped in semi-finals included California Invitational winner Ethan Hu of Leland High School (CA), Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), and Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK).
Check back tomorrow for some small capsules on each of this year’s NSDA finalists as well as how Friday’s final rounds will affect the National Points Race.
International Extemp
*(2) Brian Anderson (LaRue County High School, Kentucky)
*(32) Rohan Dhoopar (Bellarmine College Preparatory, California)
*(11) Jack Glaser (George Washington High School, Colorado)
*(1) Justin Graham (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*(7) Noah Wexler (Nova Senior High School, Florida)
*(T54) Alex Ye (Gabrielino High School, California)
United States Extemp
*(9) Shawn Kant (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*(15) Vishal Narayanaswamy (James Madison Memorial High School, Wisconsin)
*(T20) Jay Sirot (Montville Township High School, New Jersey)
*(3) Josh Wartel (Lake Braddock Secondary School, Virginia)
*(33) Marshall Webb (Saint Mary’s Hall, Texas)
*(34) Brian Yu (Monte Vista High School-Danville, California)