Randolph Speech and Debate kicked off the 2023 to 2024 season in a big way, accumulating a total of 23 trophies so far, with 10 overall in speech and 13 in debate. Out of all the debate categories, Lincoln-Douglas has earned the most wins, with a total of seven.
“It is really rewarding to see our team take home a lot of trophies, knowing all the hard work in practices paid off,” Debate President Briana Lange said.
“I’m so excited for what the future holds for our team,” advisor Katherine Burke said. “We are starting to bring larger teams to each tournament, and as a result, we’ve really started to make our mark in the New Jersey circuit. I am so proud of all our team members, from the veteran who is trying a new event to the new member who is just finding out what they like. Randolph Speech & Debate really is like a family.”
Here are the trophie wins and tournament results to date this season:
Phillipsburg Fall Spooktacular
The team attended the Phillipsburg tournament on Saturday, Oct. 28, winning four trophies to begin the season on a good note:
- Junior Carolyn He: Third place, Impromptu Speaking
- Sophomore Rohan Gupta: Sixth place, Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate
- Sophomores Emma Maqsudi and Ryan Davidson: Sixth place, Parliamentary Debate
- Junior Carolyn He: Seventh place, Original Oratory
Summit Holiday Hilltopper Classic
At the Summit tournament on Saturday, Dec. 9, RHS took home 13 trophies, five of them for first place. Additionally, RHS placed second overall in the team sweepstakes, meaning the team earned the second highest number of points among all participants. “The Summit Holiday Hilltopper is always one of the most fun tournaments of the year,” Burke said. “We were able to bring a huge team with over 30 team members, and we did extremely well.”
- Junior Ryan Schorr: First place, Impromptu Speaking
- Junior Harsh Magdum: First place, Improvisational Acting
- Junior Carolyn He: First place, Informative Speaking
- Sophomore Tanishka Shahoo: First place, Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate
- Juniors Brendan Angilello and Briana Lange: First place, Parliamentary Debate
- Junior Fernando Hernandez: Second place, Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate
- Sophomore Saahithi Jatamoni: Third place, Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate
- Junior Diya Patel: Fourth place, Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate
- Junior Carolyn He: Fourth place, Original Oratory
- Sophomores Shubh Potdar and Ritvik Thota: Fourth place, Novice Public Forum Debate
- Freshmen Jiah and Ruhi Shah: Fifth place, Novice Public Forum Debate
- Junior Kevin Wang: Top Non-Advancing Novice, Improvisational Acting
- Sophomore Jacob Conti: Twelfth place, Novice Congressional Debate
Newark Coast Forensic League (CFL) #1 @ Ridge High School
The team attended Ridge on Saturday, Dec. 16. The team won three trophies, and junior Carolyn He will be attending nationals later this year.
- Junior Carolyn He: Second place and national qualifier, Original Oratory
- Sophomore Tanishka Shahoo: Quarterfinalist, Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate
- Junior Brendan Angilello: Fifth place, Congress
Hunterdon Central Winter Invitational
At the Hunterdon tournament on Saturday, Jan. 6, RHS won three trophies. Unfortunately, the team had to leave early because of the snowstorm.
- Juniors Briana Lange and Sophia Bonadio: Third place, Parliamentary Debate
- Sophomore Rohan Gupta: Sixth place, Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate
- Junior Brendan Angilello: Finalist, Varsity Congress
Looking ahead, Speech and Debate will attend another tournament at Ridge High School on Saturday, Jan 27.
