Ridge Forensics Wins State Championships For 23rd Year In A Row

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — They’ve done it again! The Ridge Forensics Speech & Debate team closed its local season by being named NJ State Champions for the 23rd consecutive year recently.

Special congratulations for individual state champions:

Senior

• Aayush Bhakey (Original Oratory),

Juniors

• Sherry Antil (U.S. Extemporaneous Speaking)
• MJ Chu (International Extemporaneous Speaking)
• Faye Fletcher (Informative Speaking)
• Sameer Kandra (Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate)
• Jia Aggarwal (Varsity Congressional Debate)
• Junior Aishani Parihar

Sophomore

• Vivian Liu (JV Parliamentary Debate)
• Himnish Koul (JV Lincoln-Douglas Debate)

Additionally, students who advanced to finals include:

Seniors

• Celine Huang (2nd, Impromptu & 2nd, Original Oratory)
• Ami Singh with Aayush Bhakey (3rd, Duo Interpretation),
• Mannan Pandey (Improvisational Acting)
• Srija Kasarla (5th, Oral Interpretation)
• Aarya Raval (6th, Program Oral Interpretation)

Juniors

• Aparna Iyer (3rd, U.S. Extemporaneous Speaking)
• Faye Fletcher (4th, Humorous Interpretation)
• Amulya Kollipara (4th, Informative Speaking)
• Shivank Jha (4th, Varsity Congressional Debate)
• Zoey Qin (6th, International Extemporaneous Speaking)

Sophmores

• Naitik Narang & Charan Pyloore (2nd, Junior Varsity Public Forum)
• Arjun Kumar (2nd, U.S. Extemporaneous Speaking)
• Adalia Karda-Marok (3rd, International Extemporaneous Speaking)
• Anvi Sharma (4th, International Extemporaneous Speaking)
• Rameen Nazim (4th, Novice Congressional Debate)
• Aarush Joginipally (6th, Declamation)

Freshmen

• Elizabeth Gnoinski (2nd, Novice Congressional Debate)
• Risha Madan (3rd, Novice Congressional Debate)

The following students advanced to semifinals:

Senior

• Srija Kasarla and Junior RainaPrasad (Duo Interpretation)
• Sky Rose Jaamann (Informative Speaking, Original Oratory)
• Ami Singh (Original Oratory)
• Mannan Pandey (Improvisational Acting & Impromptu Speaking)
• Saketha Kedarsetty (Impromptu Speaking)

Junior

• Milie Gupta (Impromptu Speaking)
• Sar Khanal with Sophomore Rhea Vasanthavada (Junior Varsity Public Forum Debate)

Sophomores

• Aryav Gaddam (Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate)
• Madhavi Mohanakrishnan (Informative Speaking)
• Adalia Karda-Marok (Declamation)

Freshman

• Sarah Gulati (Declamation)

The following students advanced to the quarterfinals:

Juniors

• Eva Chen (Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate)
• Siona Belawat with Arnob Mitra (Varsity Parliamentary Debate)
• Shrey Sharma with Kuber Sarwal (Varsity Public Forum Debate)
• Aadi Sateeja with sophomore Matthew Li (Varsity Public Forum Debate)

Sophomore

• Anya Hira (Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate)

Freshmen

• Liam Olesnyckyj with Shlok Janani (Novice Public Forum Debate)
• Fabiola Johnson (Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate)

Congratulations to everyone on their hard work and well-deserved success! Team director and founder, David Yastremski, commented on the team’s dominant performance on Saturday: "Honestly, I could not be prouder. We came in this year with the legacy of so many alumni on our shoulders, and we proved once again that we are one of the most formidable teams on the circuit. It was only through each competitor’s hard work and dedication that we achieved this team achievement yet again."

After winning the New Jersey State Championship, the Ridge Forensics Team is preparing for this weekend’s district tournament, aiming to secure more national qualifications.

With upcoming competitions like the NIETOC (National Individual Events Tournament of Champions), TOC (Tournament of Champions), NCFL (National Catholic Forensics League), and NSDA (National Speech & Debate Association) Nationals, the team is focused on refining performances to excel at the national level.

— Submitted by Ridge Forensics