Debate Team Wins State Championship

Hawken's Speech and Debate Team emerged as state champions in the Ohio High School Speech League Speech and Debate State Finals held at Wooster High School, February 27 - March 1, 2014. Hawken's skilled team, playing against teams two and three times their size, placed first in team sweepstakes by a significant margin over the second place team.

 

Ron Lubarsky '14 and Tim Perevozchikov '14 are the state champions in Public Forum Debate.  They won their preliminary rounds 6-0, each elimination round 3-0, and the final round 5-0.  They are repeat state champions from last year and the only team ever to win the state championship twice.

 

Will Mascaro '14 is the state champion in Congressional Debate. He is a repeat state champion from last year and the only student to win the state championship in Congressional Debate twice.

 

Aric Floyd '14 is the state runner-up in Lincoln Douglas Debate.  He was also the state runner-up in 2012.

 

Alison Jin '15 is the state runner-up in Original Oratory.

 

Other Hawken students who were honored at the awards ceremony are: 

• Sid Ahuja '14 and Zach Kirsch '14 - semi-finalists in Public Forum Debate; 
• Jack Weisman '15 - semi-finalist in Lincoln Douglas Debate; 
• Noah Geller '14 and Marty Zhu '14 - semi-finalists in Policy Debate; 
• Michael Gerace '16 - 6th place in Impromptu;
• Phillip Hedayatnia '16 - 7th place in Congressional Debate.

Megan Cerbin '14 was honored prior to the awards ceremony for an 8th place finish in Congressional Debate and Nicole Kastelic '16 was honored as an octafinalist in Lincoln Douglas Debate. Olivia Fried '15 and Emily Hedlund '15 made it to the double-octa round in Public Forum debate and Isaac Jacobson '16 was a quarter-finalist in impromptu.

 

Other members of the Hawken Speech and Debate team who won the honor of competing at the state tournament as a result of district tournaments in February are Devesh Modi '16 , James Swingos '16, Aman Nair '15 and Max Schachere '15 in Public Forum debate; Noah Charnas '16 and Derrick Liu '16 in Policy Debate; and Alexandra Blake '16 and Ozan Ergungor '17 in United States Extemporaneous Speaking.

 

Tim Perevozchikov, Aric Floyd, Zach Kirsch, Ron Lubarsky, Will Mascaro, and Phillip Hedayatnia will represent Hawken at the Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky in April.  They qualified as a result of their success at national circuit tournaments earlier this year.  Those six students plus Sid Ahuja will also represent Hawken at the National Forensic League national tournament in Overland Park, KS in June.  Tim and Ron qualified as a result of their 4th place finish at last year's national tournament.  Zach, Sid, and Aric qualified at the North Coast District tournament at St. Ignatius in February.  Will and Phillip qualified at the North Coast District Congress tournament at Gilmour in February. 

 
Click here and here to view complete OHSSA final results.

Congratulations, students, and good luck as competition continues.