It was a surreal moment for Rob Egan to process and one the Wichita Collegiate debate coach will try to savor.

Collegiate is no stranger to success in debate in both four-speaker and two-speaker events, but what the Spartans accomplished last weekend at the 3-1A tournament at Tonganoxie was beyond anything Egan could have predicted.  

The semifinalists in two-speaker were comprised of four different Spartan teams – Ayaan Parikh and William Meyer, Samuel Brittain and Andrew Porter, Danniella Ngunjiri and Cassilda Njeri, and Ingrid Lampton and Elizabeth Timsah. 

In debate, teams from the same school can decide not to compete against each other. With the Spartans choosing that option, each two-person tandem was credited with “walkover wins,” and the quartet of Collegiate teams were declared co-champions. 

“For me as a coach, it was hard to process in the moment,” Egan said. “I knew that our students were well prepared and capable of doing special things, but this was beyond my wildest dreams. It’s one of those moments when I wish time could freeze, just to relish in the magic a little longer. We are so proud of our co-champions, who continue to lift up our tradition of excellence in debate. They’ve certainly left their mark.”

Egan said he had not heard of a school having all of the two-speaker semifinal teams since Tonganoxie achieved that feat in 2003. 

“It’s certainly special to be able to mark that occasion on the Wichita Collegiate squad,” he said. 

Egan said having eight debaters share the honor was fitting for this particular group, which helped secure the sixth overall state debate title for the Collegiate program, all coming in a span of the last six years. 

“They have helped each other, crafted arguments together, teamed up to research challenging questions, and celebrated each other’s successes at every turn,” Egan said. “Over the course of the weekend, each of our students battled in tough rounds, and particularly in quarterfinals, really blew me away.”
 
 

SENIOR-LESS WASHBURN RURAL ROARS BACK FROM EARLY SETBACK TO WIN STATE, CLINCH 8TH STRAIGHT 4-SPEAKER TITLE

Washburn Rural’s rule over 6A two-speaker state debate faced a tough challenge last year when the team needed to replace its quartet of back-to-back champions.

The Junior Blues still clinched its seven straight last year with fresh faces, although led by a pair of seniors. 

This year Washburn Rural would face a different challenge as the team had no seniors to lean on.

Not a problem for the Junior Blues, who kept the streak alive anyway.

Washburn Rural’s four-speaker team of juniors Kavi Chidambaranathan, Aditi Nimishakavi, Harris Chaudhry and sophomore Campbell Hight went 12-2 at this year’s 6A state tournament on Jan. 12-13 at Olathe North High School.

Although the final result appeared to be business as usual, Washburn Rural actually found themselves in trouble early on in the tournament. The Juniors Blues held a 2-2 record at the conclusion of the second round. The team lost to Blue Valley West and Free State, two teams which ended up finishing in second place and third place, respectively.

Washburn Rural debate coach Tim Ellis said he was proud of his competitors for fighting through the early adversity.

“We knew that we were going to have to debate well for the rest of the tournament to be successful, and the kids really rose to the occasion,” Ellis said.

The Junior Blues went undefeated the rest of the way to close out the program’s eighth straight four-speaker state title.

“It has been a pretty remarkable run for our program, and I am so happy with the work that the students do each season to put us in position to be competitive at state,” Ellis said.

Ellis pointed to the sixth round as “an inflection point” for his team during its state title performance.

The Junior Blues entered that round tied with Blue Valley West after having lost to the Jaguars in the second round.

“If our affirmative team beat them in that round, we controlled our own destiny if we could just win out,” he said. 

That’s when the preparation really came into play. Ellis said that on Friday night after the first day of the tournament had ended, the team went to work.

“We scoured through all of our scouting on Blue Valley West and prepared for both the team we expected to debate and their school’s alternates,” he said. 

Blue Valley West ended up reading one of the arguments that the Junior Blues prepped for the night before.

“We were able to escape with a narrow victory on a 2-1 decision,” he said.

But even though their negative team of Chaudhry and Hight won that round, the Junior Blues knew they still needed to beat Free State in the final round.

This time the Junior Blues’ negative team of Chidambaranathan and Nimishakavi came through with a resounding victory, earning a unanimous 3-0 decision to secure the program’s seven straight state title.

For Chidambaranathan and Nimishakavi, this was the duo’s second straight state championship performance. They were the affirmative team for last year’s four-speaker squad.

As sophomores, Chidambaranathan and Nimishakavi were thrust into the varsity spotlight alongside then-seniors Evander Davis and Karissa Kromminga. This year, the tandem has racked up accolades at the state and national level.

Chidambaranathan and Nimishakavi also took first place at the NSDA National Tournament, qualified for the Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky and were semifinalists at the Debate Coaches Invitational, which pitted the top 24 teams in the state against each other.

Chaudhry and Hight are first alternates for the Flint-Hills District at NSDA Nationals. They also won the Lawrence Invitational and finished with a winning record at the DCI tournament.

Ellis said that each of those two pairings on his four-speaker squad debated in over 60 rounds this season, winning at well above a 70% clip.

Ellis said it was an awesome experience to win the state title this year, especially considering that there were no seniors leading the way. But he’s also got to like the idea of having the senior leadership of Chidambaranathan, Nimishakavi and Chaudry for next year’s team as it aims for a ninth straight four-speaker title.

Ellis has been a coach for this team for each of the nine state titles over the last eight years. He has now passed his mentor and former Washburn Rural coach Cindy Burgett for total state titles as a coach. Burgett retired from coaching debate in 2019 after winning her final three state titles alongside Ellis as co-coach.

Ellis kept that streak going with Sean Duff stepping in as assistant coach. Duff has coached seven state champions, which includes one 5A two-speaker state champ at Lansing in 2019 before making the move to Washburn Rural.

Washburn Rural sits at 16 total state titles in debate. Prior to Burgett taking over the program, Bill Davis coached the team to three state titles from 1980 to 1985. Davis would reach 10 state titles as coach, leading Blue Valley to three and Blue Valley North to four between 1992 and 2005.

As the only two other debate coaches in Washburn Rural history, Davis and Burgett are both members of the National Speech and Debate Association Hall of Fame.

“It is truly an honor to be considered in the same sentence as Bill Davis or (Cindy) Burgett,” Ellis said. “I am thrilled to be a part of the legacy that Bill Davis began and that Burgett continued. I would never be in this position, or likely even in high school debate, without the mentorship I received from Burgett.”

Ellis said he assisted Burgett for two years before he even took an education class,

“She’s instilled a lot of qualities in me during our time together that have helped propel us to the success that we have seen the last few years,” he said.

Specifically, Ellis said that there is one mantra from Burgett that he has maintained since her retirement and that has served as a guiding light for this program.

Her mantra: “It is better to be a good person than a good debater, although we would prefer (it) if you were both.”

Ellis said that idea has been at the core of Washburn Rural debate for decades. Ellis added that the program’s prolonged success is also evidence of the priority that school has put on debate, 

“It is something special to be part of a program that has had only three head coaches for more than 40 years,” he said.

Ellis said that he’d love to catch up with Davis at 10 state titles, and hopefully a few more after that, but championships is not really his main goal.

“The most important thing about my coaching is that I continue to inspire students to challenge themselves and reach the utmost of their potential in a supportive, collaborative environment.”
 

MOTIVATED SILVER LAKE RELISHES 4-SPEAKER TITLE IN 3-1A

After a disappointing finish to the 2023 debate season, Silver Lake earned redemption this year. 

The Eagles were state runner-up in four-speaker in 2022 and went into the 2023 tournament with high expectations but settled for fifth place. 

Silver Lake found a feeling of validation in capturing the Class 3-1A four-speaker title last weekend at Tonganoxie. 

“The kids used (last year’s tournament) to motivate their preparation this year and were hyper-focused all season long,” Silver Lake coach Michelle Taylor said. “I saw so much growth from them this season. When it came time for state, we were all a little nervous given last year, but also, the energy felt different. 

“On the way to the tournament, we set some goals together, and our big one was, no matter what, when we walked away from the tournament Saturday night, we would be proud of our performance. Our second one was to debate relaxed and not let the pressure get into our heads.”

With seniors Allie Sexton, Drake Sexton and Sarah Smith arguing the negative and juniors Tessa Gerber, Olivia Ray and Meredith Burgess on the affirmative side, the Eagles went 14-0 to secure the debate program’s 10th overall state title and first since 2018. 

Taylor said it was evident early her team was locked in. 

“When the team came out of the first round, there was a clear difference from last year. From then on, they couldn't be stopped,” she said. “Our 14-0 record doesn't represent our tough rounds against Wichita Collegiate, Sterling, Bishop Seabury and Halstead.”

The Eagles had already clinched the championship going into the final round, so Taylor told the team to “let loose and enjoy.” 

“They all came out of the round with smiles, and some tears from our seniors,” Taylor said. “I credit our squad culture and our focus on being extra prepared with quality evidence and analysis for our success. At the end of the day, the state trophy isn't the only thing we were after, but I am glad the kids have it as a representation of how hard they worked this year.”

Sterling was runner-up with a 9-5 record while Wichita Collegiate took third at 8-6. 
 

BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST KEEPS DYNASTY ROLLING WITH 9TH STRAIGHT 4-SPEAKER TITLE, 11-YEAR RUN OF STATE TITLES

Blue Valley Southwest debate kept its decade-long streak alive with another state title at this year's 5A state debate tournament.

The Timberwolves pushed their streak of four-speaker state titles to nine straight with the victory Jan. 13 at Olathe North High School. The team has won a state title in 11 straight years.

This year’s team of seniors Rishi Shetty, Raghu Penugonda, Maggie Howerton and Amy Lloyd went 13-1 on the way to this year’s title. Sumner Academy finished as the runner-up with a 9-5 record while Newton took third at 8-6.

Many of the champion debate teams can point to a moment during the state tournament when a close competition turned in their favor during a specific round. But for the Timberwolves, they try to avoid getting themselves stuck in those tough spots.

Blue Valley Southwest head coach Ryan McFarland said he thinks that the team often wins the tournament before the tournament begins, thanks to all the preparation and hard work that the student put in throughout the season and during the time leading into the competition.

“In four-speaker we know who we're debating a month in advance, so the students are able to research and strategize,” McFarland said. “We had a pretty good understanding of the arguments we wanted to make against each team, how they were going to respond, and how we were going to handle those responses. 

“I think that's what makes us good in the four-speaker division. We have students that work incredibly hard during the season, but they step it up when it comes to state tournament preparation.”

McFarland already knew he had a squad capable of getting the job done at state.Howerton and Lloyd returned from last year’s four-speaker state title team, while Shetty and Penugonda joined them after that pair won the two-speaker state title that season.

McFarland said each of those seniors took different paths to reach this point.

Howerton and Lloyd started their debate careers as the program’s most accomplished novice team on their way to becoming two-time state four-speaker state champs. They have competed at nationals multiple times and are currently nationally ranked.

For Shetty and Penugonda, the path involved both competitors having “scrapped and clawed” their way into state as sophomores in 2022. Now they are both honorable mentions in the national coaches poll and have two state titles, one in each division.

“All four of them have been incredibly dedicated to the program and have set the standard for the program moving forward,” he said. “They've left a huge impact on the team that will be felt long after they've graduated.”

The Timberwolves started their 11-year reign of dominance when they swept the 5A titles in 2014. The team followed up with the two-speaker title in 2015 before starting the current four-speaker streak in 2016. The Timberwolves also added two more sweeps by also winning the two-speaker title in 2017 and 2023.

Blue Valley Southwest debate head coach Ryan McFarland has eight state titles under his belt. He coached Kapaun Mt. Carmel to a 5A 2-speaker state title in 2018 before taking over the Blue Valley Southwest program from former coach Jared Zuckerman in 2019.

Despite all of the previous success, McFarland said that this year’s victory still stood out for him. He described seeing this group of seniors win the state title together as “a little emotional” for him because they started their debate careers at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their first year was conducted primarily in a virtual or hybrid setting.

“They got the worst instruction their first year, and honestly the worst tournament experience,” he said. “They stuck it out, together, for all four years. They will all compete in the second semester nationally, but it felt great to see the four of them win together after the way their careers began.”

For McFarland, the streak is something that he and the team do not really think about until they are surprised with the new number at the end of the tournament.

“I had no idea we were at nine straight until the awards ceremony,” he said. “I think it speaks to the culture of the team. Everyone on our team works extremely hard, and our number one goal, as a team, at the beginning of the year is to win state.The students work the hardest and put their best into the state tournament every year. 

“Every debater understands the short history of the program and takes pride in putting their own stamp on the program.”

Just because they are not focused on the number, does not mean the streak is not still in the back of their minds throughout the year. McFarland said there’s still a lot of pressure to keep the streak alive.

“The streak started before I got here, and I don't really want to be the one that ends the streak,” he said. “In the same way, the students don't want to be the ones that end the streak either. I think that pressure brings out the best in the students and they always handle it well. I think this class, in particular, handled the pressure really well. 

“I've been really fortunate to work with some of the hardest working, smartest students in the nation that allowed for the streak to exist.”

MCPHERSON NOTCHES 3-PEAT IN FOUR-SPEAKER 

McPherson continued its Class 4A reign in four-speaker, securing its third straight state championship. 

The team was comprised of seniors Vlad Peters, Sam Houston and Lucy Bowman, junior Bryson Archer and freshmen Anna Marie Holmes and Brenna Sullivan. 

Bowman and Houston have been a part of the champion teams for all three years while Archer and Peters have been on the last two title teams. 

McPherson went 14-0 in the tournament at Tonganoxie. 

“There is no way around it: The main thing has been accountability. The students taking accountability for their own knowledge and growth,” McPherson coach Aaron Schopper said.

It was the eighth overall state debate title for the McPherson program. 

“This has been one of the hardest working and most consistent group of kids I have ever had the joy of coaching,” Schopper said. “These students come with amazing ideas that we feed off of.”

Bishop Miege went 12-2 and took second while Buhler was third with a 7-7 record.
 

DE SOTO'S GUESS TWINS BRING HOME PROGRAM'S 1ST STATE TITLE WITH 5A 2-SPEAKER CHAMPIONSHIP

De Soto entered this debate season without a state champion in the program’s history.

The Wildcats came close last year with the then-senior tandem of Cael Province and Nicolas Weaver finishing runner-up in the two-speaker debate.

This season, a pair of junior twin sisters stepped up and got the job done during the team’s return to state.

De Soto juniors Bella Guess and Lucienna Guess won the 5A two-speaker debate state title with a 8-2 record on Jan. 13 at Olathe North High School, bringing home the first championship for the De Soto debate program.

The Guesses finished with a 4-2 record in the preliminary rounds before winning four straight elimination rounds to clinch the championship. 

The sister tandem earned 3-0 victories in the octofinal and quarterfinal rounds. They pulled out a 2-1 win as the affirmative team against Pittsburg’s Seth Loudermilk and Indiana Grotheer in the semifinals. The Guesses repeated that split decision result as the negative team in the finals, earning the 2-1 win over Topeka Seaman’s Kate Eckert and Kylie Weir.

De Soto debate coach Ron Mercer said that the Guesses proved more than capable of this type of success from the start of the season when they went 5-3 during the Washburn Rural Invitational, which included many of the top teams from across the state.

But it was the United Kansas Conference tournament that was the most important tournament in preparing for state, according to Mercer.

“The league tournament is a lot more similar in style to the type of debate experienced at state compared to other tournaments they typically attend and helped them understand how they needed to tailor their arguments to these different styles of competitors and judges,” Mercer said. 

Mercer said that tournament was a good litmus test for their readiness for the state tournament. The Guesses not only won, they came away from the tournament knowing how they wanted state to play out.

“When they decided they wanted to bet on themselves and go for two-speak, I felt that this showcased their potential,” he said.

Mercer described the state tournament as a marathon. The two-day event put the champs through approximately 15 hours of in-round debating.

He said that it's not uncommon for that exhausting schedule to catch up with the competitors by the end of the weekend. Mercer did not see that from his squad.

“There was a palpable energy both with Bella & Luci, as well as with their teammates who were helping them prepare, that signified not only the importance of the occasion, but also joy and excitement throughout the team in being able to accomplish something great,” he said.

Alongside the Guess sisters winning the two-speaker title, De Soto’s four-speaker team finished in fourth place. The Wildcats negative team of seniors Kennedy Farrier and Henry Walawender went 6-1 while the affirmative team of junior Austin Chase and senior Jay Schlotzhauer finished 2-5.

WOODS, HARBIN WIN ANOTHER TWO-SPEAKER TITLE FOR CHANUTE 

After winning two-speaker titles in 2022 and 2023, Chanute's Andrew Woods had a new debate partner this year as he went for the 3-peat. 

Woods and Layla Harbin had no trouble meshing together to form a formidable tandem. 

The pair cruised to the 4A title to give Chanute its third straight two-speaker championship, dropping just one round in the tournament at Tonganoxie. 

“We are all very impressed by Andrew and Layla's championship victory,” Chanute coach Tim Tarkelly said. “They have both worked tirelessly, sacrificing their free time to research evidence, work out new arguments, and practicing their debate and speaking skills. 

“I've never met more hard-working or deserving students.”

Tarkelly said Woods and Harbin complement each other well. 

“They encourage and challenge each other in practice, and they balance out each others' unique traits in the round,” Tarkelly said. “The tournament itself was an impressive display. We are super thankful to the tournament directors, their competitors, and all of the other coaches who came out and made state possible.”

Tonganoxie’s Ella Pruitt and Cayden Hunter were runners-up while Bishop Miege’s Norah Carney and Henry Holm took third.
 

BLUE VALLEY NORTH SENIORS CLINCH 2-SPEAKER STATE TITLE IN 5A

Blue Valley North seniors Claire Ain and Edward Mu returned to state this year planning to build off their octofinalist finish from last season.

The Mustangs tandem did that and more as Ain and Mu worked their way through the two-speaker field to win the 6A state championship.

Blue Valley North debate coach Brian Box said he’s proud of the hard work that Ain and Mu put in over the last four years and it was an amazing experience to see them add to that with a state championship win.

“In our program we try not to put too much stock into individual tournament results, and focus more holistically on the full season, but there is something unique about winning the state tournament,” Box said. “Enduring 11 debates in 36 hours and winning 5 straight elimination rounds in a high-stakes environment makes the accomplishment feel special.”

Ain and Mu took the affirmative side in each of the championship rounds. They started with a 2-1 decision before earning 3-0 decisions in both the octofinal and quarterfinal rounds. The duo finished things off by winning 2-1 split decisions in the final two rounds to clinch the title.

In the final round, Ain and Mu went up against a Blue Valley team of Brett Jordan and Nikoo Tahmasebi who took a similar path to the finals. Jordan and Tahmasebi had the same 3-0 decisions in the first octofinal and quarterfinal rounds before earning a 2-1 split decision to reach the finals. The biggest difference to that point was that Jordan and Tahmasebi were the negative team in every elimination round except for the semifinals.

Ain and Mu tied for fourth last year, advancing past the octofinal round before getting eliminated in the quarterfinals. Their teammates, Lizzie Place and Lily Ren, reached the finals before ultimately finishing state runner-up behind Wichita East’s Esther Liu and Kate Halabi.

Ain and Mu are just the second Mustangs duo to win the two-speaker state title, earning the team its sixth title overall in the program’s history. The team’s most recent championship team was Kelsie Fisher and Anushka Valsan winning the two-speaker state title in 2020.

Box said this year’s state title felt just as thrilling as the 2020 title, but this year’s duo also had a different path than the previous one. Fisher and Valsan were favorites heading into that 2020 state tournament.

“Claire and Eddie, while not underdogs by any stretch, were in a different position entering the tournament,” Box said. 

Box said that one obstacle for these two was that Mu is also the drum major for Blue Valley North’s marching band.

“They debated together less than most of the other top teams in Kansas,” Box said. “Claire stepped up to debate with different sophomore partners at three other tournaments, reaching elimination rounds at all of them. After a rocky period at the end of the regular season, they regained form in January and peaked at the right time.”

Ain and Mu lost only one debate during the state tournament, earning a top-5 seed after the preliminary rounds. Box said both competitors maintained positive vibes throughout the two-day tournament, which included the grueling seven-round conclusion on the second day.

“There are an exhausting number of emotional highs and lows during a tournament like this one, and both Claire and Eddie were calm and collected throughout,” Box said.

For Mu, he was able to distract himself between rounds by watching a little bit of the NFL playoffs. Ain kept the positive energy going by performing the Griddy, a dance move, before and after every elimination round.

“They kept the vibes high and locked in when it mattered,” Box said. “Semis and finals were extraordinarily close debates against amazing opponents, and we were thrilled to come out on top.”