Speech & Debate competes at nationals

The prestigious event – recognized as the world’s largest academic competition – welcomed more than 6,700 students from 1,500 schools nationwide. Participants engaged in rigorous debate, shared compelling stories and addressed current issues as they vied for one of 42 national titles.

Rising senior Prachi Chetlur earned a spot in Octofinals (Top 60) for the second year in a row and also advanced in Extemporaneous Commentary.

Recent graduate Harsh Mali delivered a strong performance in Extemporaneous Debate, finishing with a 3-2 record, while rising senior Vincent Watson placed in the Top 100 in Informative Speaking.

The World Schools Debate Team – comprised of recent graduates Opal Miller, Harsh Mali, Krishna Sathya Vagheeswar and Nikhita Thakuria – finished with a 3-3 record, one win from advancing. Isabel Vilensky, a 2025 graduate, and Arth Italiya, a rising senior, were also selected for the team by Pittsburgh area coaches, but were unable to attend.

“This equals the largest number of students from one school chosen for the 10-member Pittsburgh World Schools Debate Teams,” Ben Edwards, Speech & Debate coach, said. “Upper St. Clair previously set the record in 2023.”

To qualify to compete at the national tournament, Upper St. Clair students had to excel at the highly competitive Pittsburgh District Tournament in March. The district includes schools from a broad geographic area, stretching from Erie to Washington, and allows only two qualifiers per event.

The NSDA emphasizes the long-term value of these experiences, highlighting how speech and debate foster the next generation of changemakers, advocates and leaders.

“Effective communication skills and knowledge of the issues around the world are essential for empowering young people to become engaged citizens, skilled professionals and honorable leaders,” J. Scott Wunn, NSDA executive director, said.

The National Speech & Debate Tournament is one of two national tournaments for the Upper St. Clair team. Recent graduates Isabel Vilensky and Aaryan Kuman finished their high school speech careers with a top-50 finish in Public Forum Debate at the 2025 National Catholic Forensic League Grand Nationals, held May 24-25 in Chicago.

Others Upper St. Clair High School students who qualified and competed include:

• Josh Anand & Harsh Mali - Public Forum Debate
• Nikhil Chandran & Opal Miller - Public Forum Debate
• Prachi Chetlur - Extemporaneous Speaking
• Noshi Dabas - Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Eva Dimanov & Helly Makadia - Policy Debate
• Ali Hanna - Oral Interpretation of Literature
• Arth Italiya & Krishna Sathya Vagheeswar - Duo Interpretation
• Aaron Jiang & Vik Kamat - Policy Debate
• Zahra Khan & Izzy Lin - Policy Debate
• Rohan Mehta - Extemporaneous Speaking
• Roshan Mishra - Extemporaneous Speaking
• Manav Patel - Student Congress
• Anushka Sen & Finn Stafford - Duo Interpretation
• Sofia Sistilli - Original Oratory
• Harshini Sivakumar - Declamation
• Shreya Sriram - Oral Interpretation of Literature
• NIkhita Thakuria - Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Divya Udhayakumar - Original Oratory
• Pari Varshney - Declamation
• Hansika Yanamadala - Dramatic Performance