[fblike]
For our East Coast readers it is a very late night, but quarter-finalists in International and United States Extemp at the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament have just been announced in Salt Lake City, Utah. These competitors have a grueling day ahead of them tomorrow, with every round carrying significant meaning for overall placing. There will be two quarter-final rounds, with the top fourteen competitors advancing to two rounds of semi-finals. The announcement of the six Friday finalists in each event will take place late tomorrow afternoon, so tomorrow is “moving day” at the national tournament as extempers will want to position themselves into the top six, but also within striking distance to take home the national title on Friday.
Some extempers in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race were eliminated after round eight in International Extemp. Andrew Langford of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) and Olivia Shoemaker of Lakeville North High School (MN), ranked seventeenth and twentieth, respectively, in this year’s rankings ended their run in this year’s national tournament. Last year’s finalist Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory (FL) continues his quest for a “double crown” of national championships, while last year’s semi-finalists Roman Shemakov of McClintock High School (AZ) and Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX) remain alive and will hope to reach the final round stage tomorrow.
The big news on the U.S. Extemp side was the elimination of Shawn Kant of Ridge High School (NJ). Kant placed fourth at last year’s national tournament and was ranked twenty-ninth in this year’s National Points Race. Several major names advanced in the category, though, with Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), and Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA) all clearing to tomorrow’s elimination rounds.
All of the underclassmen that reached the quarter-final round have earned one of two qualifying legs for next year’s Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University. Underclassmen that cleared to quarter-finalists – there were twenty-seven in total – are identified in blue below.
International Extemp
*Ross Abram (Eastview High School, Minnesota)
*Arslan Ali (Blue Valley High School, Kansas)
*Chinmay Bakshi (Mason High School, Ohio)
*(2) Vaikunth Balaji (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*(24) Charlie Barton (Regis High School, New York)
*(T72) Kendra Blandon (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
*(T103) Austin Chen (Monte Vista High School, California)
*Tim Chung (Gabrielino High School, California)
*Liam Frolund (Turlock High School, California)
*Kendall Gardner (Fishers High School, Indiana)
*Alexander Gasman (ILEAD North Hollywood, California)
*(1) Justin Graham (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*(25) Jarrek Holmes (Kent Denver School, Colorado)
*Austin Jang (Union High School, Washington)
*Noah Lee (Cumberland Valley High School, Pennsylvania)
*(16) Christopher Mayer (Montville High School, New Jersey)
*Oluwakamiye Obaro (Millard West High School, Nebraska)
*Clay Owens (Perry High School, Ohio)
*Stefan Petrovic (Lawrence High School, Kansas)
*(T72) Arian Raje (Saratoga High School, California)
*Nikhil Ramaswamy (Jasper High School, Texas)
*(T141) Keshav Rastogi (Scarsdale High School, New York)
*Connor Rothschild (Kickapoo High School, Missouri)
*(46) Christian Sayers (Valparaiso High School, Indiana)
*(T88) Roman Shemakov (McClintock High School, Arizona)
*(42) Shreetika Singh (Seven Lakes High School, Texas)
*(3) Marshall Sloane (Milton Academy, Massachusetts)
*(7) Samhitha Sunkara (Ardrey Kell High School, North Carolina)
*(T35) Alicia Zhang (East Ridge High School, Minnesota)
*(23) Matthew Zheng (Mira Loma High School, California)
United States Extemp
*(21) Jack Beedle (Salem High School, Virginia)
*Joan Bentz (Neosho High School, Missouri)
*(14) Varun Bhatia (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*Daniel Brophy (Downers Grove North High School, Illinois)
*(62) Sam Buisman (Chanhassen High School, Minnesota)
*(13) Micah Cash (Booker T. Washington High School, Oklahoma)
*Carolyn Chun (Hinsdale Central High School, Illinois)
*Kate Farwell (ILEAD North Hollywood, California)
*Andrew F. Figueiredo (Wichita East High School, Kansas)
*(32) Nick Guiliano (Holy Ghost Preparatory, Pennsylvania)
*(11) Katherine Hu (Plano Senior High School, Texas)
*(28) Zach Kapner (Scarsdale High School, New York)
*(T88) Hari Kumar (Shrewsbury High School, Massachusetts)
*(T88) Quinn Kupec (Moorehead High School, Minnesota)
*(T103) John Thornton Lindsey (Montgomery High School, Texas)
*Chase Miller (Upper St. Clair High School, Pennsylvania)
*Madison Morrissette (Millard North High School, Nebraska)
*Sanjaye Narayan (Gabrielino High School, California)
*(39) Ryan Olson (Monte Vista High School, California)
*(15) Neil Patel (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
*William Porter (Phoenix Country Day School, Arizona)
*Dylan Powers (Smoky Hill High School, Colorado)
*(4) Nathaniel Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)
*(9) Jacob Thompson (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
*(T72) Alexander L. Trobough (Sumner Academy, Kansas)
*(T48) Michael Wang (Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Florida)
*(5) Marshall Webb (Saint Mary’s Hall, Texas)
*Amanda Wheelock (Norman High School, Oklahoma)
*Matthew Wylie (Norman North High School, Oklahoma)
*(6) Brian Xu (San Marino High School, California)
Extemp Central congratulates all of the extempers and their coaches for reaching quarter-finals.