From April 24-26, 15 students traveled to Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., to compete in the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Speech and Debate State Tournament. From team debates like Policy and Public Forum to individual speech events such as Poetry and Extemporaneous Speaking, competitors participated in 13 distinct events, earning ninth place in Class 2 sweepstakes at the State Tournament.

The MSHSAA district competition was held from March 7-8, with the top eight seeds advancing to state. Advancing to final rounds was based on results from four debate or two speech rounds prior.

“As a team, we won the district championship for speech [events], so I was really proud of us and the work we did to get [to the State Tournament]. We [spent] the whole year perfecting our pieces, practicing speeches, and learning as we go. Watching that hard work pay off in [the] post-season [was] really awesome,” sophomore Alisha Yin said.

This year was the first time students qualified to the State Tournament since 2021. Additionally, this year’s team comprised the highest number of students to compete in Springfield than ever before.

“We had to take a bus to get up to [the] State [Tournament] 一 we’ve [never] had to do [that] before. Spending a few hours just relaxing and having fun on our way was nice. We would play songs, share snacks, make each other laugh, and do some last-minute prep together. It was a lot of fun,” sophomore Aagi Gudipati said.

As a result of a recent class division change, students competed in Class 2. There had previously been just one class, but the changes created two classes, one for larger schools and the other for smaller schools. The decision was controversial, with proponents supporting the opportunity for more students to qualify and MSHSAA alignment with the division of sports classes. On the other hand, opponents disliked how competitive pools were split unevenly and the logistical burden of running two tournaments simultaneously.

“This is my first year on the team — we had two district tournaments at the same place, [Class 1 and 2], and the State [Tournament] followed the same format. A lot of [returning teammates] have expressed their dislike of the new system. It’s different, but it lets a lot more people compete in Springfield,” sophomore Lillian Chen said.

Five competitors qualified to the final round in their event at state, with all students earning placements in the top six of their events. Freshman Raaga Golla was fifth in Poetry Reading, junior Sravya Guda was sixth in Informative Speaking, senior Triya Gudipati was fifth in Original Oratory, sophomore Malia McLellan was fifth in Storytelling and Yin was fourth in Poetry Reading.

“A lot of us had competitive success during [the] regular season —  we wouldn’t have made it far without it — but doing the same at the State [Tournament] is a different ball game. When they announced [who advanced to the final round], I was really happy just to be in the top eight and get to share that with the other [four on the West team],” Yin said.

This isn’t quite the end of the 2024-2025 season for the team, however, an additional five students, all competitors at the State Tournament, will also be competing at the National Speech & Debate Tournament. Golla, Guda, Triya Gudipati and Yin will be joined by senior Will Gonsior in Des Moines, IA in June to compete in events such as Program Oral Interpretation (POI), Expository Speaking and Extemporaneous Debate.

“This is my first time going to [nationals], and I’m competing in POI. I don’t know what to expect, but having the opportunity to go to the State Tournament gave me a good idea on how to prepare and make sure I do my best this summer,” Yin said.