Hawken Speech and Debate Team Named State Champions!

 

This year, Massillon Perry finished in third place with 553 points, Solon in second place with 583 points, and Hawken in first place with 692 points.

Our policy debaters did especially well with four teams advancing to elimination rounds including three teams (out of eight) in quarter-finals, two teams (out of four) in semi-finals, and the state champion. 170 of our sweepstakes points were from policy debate (with St. Ignatius in second place policy sweepstakes with 106 points and Solon in third place policy sweepstakes with 46 points.)

Jack Kampine '25 and Delicia Liao ' 25 are state champions in Policy Debate.

Maia Tritt '25 won the Phyllis Barton Award for Top Speaker in Policy Debate.

Carlo Polisena'24 is the state runner-up in Original Oratory.

(Jack, Delicia, and Carlo have qualified for the Hawken Speech and Debate Wall of Fame.)

 

Other students who were honored at the awards ceremony:

Chloe Leng '25 - third place in International Extemporaneous Speaking

Breck DuPaul '25 - third place in Congressional Debate - House

Max Leebow '26 and Maia Tritt '25 - semi-finalists (top 4) in Policy Debate

Neelan Subhas '27 and Axel Neely '25 - quarter-finalists (top 8) in Policy Debate

Brooke Gemechu '26 - quarter-finalist (top 8) in Lincoln Douglas Debate

John Joyce '25 and Ben Miyares '26 (top 8) in Public Forum Debate

 

Students who were presented with awards prior to the awards ceremony:

Abigail Piazza '26 and Anne Taich '27 - octa-finalists (top 9) in Policy Debate

Isabella Bixler '26 - semi-finalist (top 12) in Declamation

Josie Bullock '26 - semi-finalist (top 12) in Dramatic Interp

Serin Arikan '24 - semi-finalist (top 12) in Informative Speaking

Manan Raina '25 - semi-finalist (top 12) in US Extemporaneous Speaking

Siraat Khan '27 - finalist (top 15) in Congressional Debate - Senate

Jeremy Rotberg '26 and Jack Martinez '26 - octa-finalists (top 16) in Public Forum

 

Other students who made it to elimination rounds:

Samuel Berlin '24, Nicole Rashidi '26, and Sam Kang '24 - semi-finalists (top 64) in Congressional Debate - House

Izabella Bashkin '26 - semi-finalist (top 48) in Congressional Debate  - Senate

Ellie McAndrew '26 - quarter-finalist (top 24) in Informative Speaking

Pranay Gupta '24 and Nathan Kalhan '25 - double-octa-finalists (top 32) in Lincoln Douglas Debate

 

Congratulations to our coaches: Kate Mozynski and Melinda Dus - Policy Debate, David Childree - Extemporaneous Speaking and Congressional Debate, Susan McGraw and Lynn Beeson - Platform and Interp, Eva Lamberson - Lincoln Douglas Debate, and Bob Shurtz - Public Forum Debate.