Debate Team Cleans Up at State Tournament

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. -- Dec. 7, 2024 -- The Stillwater Area High School Classic Debate Team had a strong showing at the Minnesota State High School League State Tournament, ultimately placing fourth overall. 

Standing out in individual competition, 10th grader Nick Smith earned a first place finish in Novice Division speaker points. He then combined with 11th grader Emma White to add a sixth place honor. 

In addition to finishing fifth overall in the state, Declan Carney and Jae Cunningham partnered for an undefeated Novice Division season with a 16-0 record. After their fifth place finish at the state tournament, they ultimately finished 22-1 overall. 

Topping the team results were Coolsjes Singhvi and Ashlyn Taylor, as they finished fourth in the JV Division, while Morgan Hoff and Reese Bockman earned a fourth place team effort in Novice competition. Ultimately, each debate round is scheduled for 1:10 of time, meaning that strong Stillwater competitors Singhvi and Taylor held an impressive stretch of over nine hours of debate across the two-day competition. 

At the State tournament, the Novice and Junior Varsity Divisions competed first in five preliminary rounds before participants advanced to single elimination brackets. Varsity Division competitors faced six preliminary rounds, followed by quarterfinal competition. 

Team Results:
Fourth place (45-25)

Individual Team Results: 
Coolsjes Singhvi (12) and Ashlyn Taylor (11): Fourth place - JV
Morgan Hoff (11) and Reese Bockman (10): Fourth place - Novice
Declan Carney (11) and Jae Cunningham (11): Fifth place - Novice
Nick Smith (10) and Emma White (11): Sixth place - Novice
Riddhi Singhvi (10) and Monica Alas (10): Seventh place - Novice
Ella Venzke (11) and Sophia Amundgaard (11): Seventh place - Varsity
Savithri Jimy (11) and Lucy Kleczka (10): 13th place - Novice

Individual Results:
Nick Smith: First place - Novice
Coolsjes Singhvi: Fourth place - JV 
Ashlyn Taylor: Sixth place - JV
Jae Cunningham: Ninth place - Novice
Morgan Hoff: 10th place - Novice
Sophia Amundgaard: 12th place - Varsity
Riddhi Singhvi: 14th place - Novice
Ella Venzke: 15th place - Varsity
Emma White: 15th Place - Novice

Other Stillwater participants included Lauren Olson (12), Mya Brockshus (12), Jack Bogie (11), Emilyn Troup (11), Lauren Drake, Atharv Verma, Lakshya Singh, and Annie Wanat. 

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