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May 6, 2018 - Plano West Speech & Debate Team Are Record Breakers at Extemp Speaking TOC

 

At the sixteenth annual Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions invitational held on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Illinois on May 4-6, the Plano West Senior High School speech and debate team competed with the following results:

  • First place team sweepstakes 
  • First place - Nikhil Ramaswamy
  • Second place - Elizabeth Khalilian
  • Semifinals -  Jennifer Lin and Jacqueline Wei
  • Quarterfinals - Anthony Jiang and Sandipan Nath

Plano West broke the record for most students to advance to elimination rounds at this tournament and broke a record for the most National Speech and Debate Tournament qualifications in a single year in extemporaneous speaking.  

Coach Rhonda Smith said, "This year's team, particularly in extemporaneous speaking, has broken numerous national records. It's been a phenomenal year, and they have spent hundreds of hours practicing to become the best squad in the nation."

Plano West Extemp team photo

Pictured are Plano West students: Pranay Dhondi, Nikhil Ramaswamy, Jennifer Lin, Elizabeth Khalilian, Jacqueline Wei, Anthony Jiang and Sandipan Nath.