Speech & Debate Team on a Roll!

Since the start of the calendar year, our Speech & Debate team has achieved a great deal! On January 26th, the team became recognized as a Charter Chapter under the National Speech & Debate Association. According to the official website, that is “the highest honor for high schools in the NSDA!”

Members from the team competed in the annual Harvard Speech & Debate Invitational, facing hundreds of schools across the world. Isaac Contreras '27 placed in the top 75 speakers in Varsity Public Forum Debate out of over 700 competitors! The following students also represented Molloy: Avinash Harpaul '26, Alicia Hemraj '28, James Lukose '28, Anya Satyanarayana '27, James Vanegas-Molina '27. 

More recently, members competed in the NYC District-NSDA Qualifying Tournament! Avinash Harpaul narrowly missed advancing to the final supersession of Congressional Debate for National qualification. The team of Isaac Contreras '27 and Matthew Xiao '27 were one win away from advancing to elimination rounds in Public Forum Debate. Coach Ryan Curran '22 also served as the Accessibility Contact Tournament, working with the NYC District Committee throughout all three qualifying tournaments in February.

In the beginning of March, members of the team competed in the National Catholic Forensic League Qualifying Tournament, with 7 students moving on to NCFL Nationals in Washington, DC! Peyton Schaefer '28 was the first-alternate in Declamation. Alicia Hemraj advanced to the final supersession of Congressional Debate, and was honored as a finalist. The team of Anya Satyanarayana and James Vanegas-Molina placed 4^th overall in Public Forum Debate, and Isaac Contreras and Matthew Xiao placed 2^nd overall in the same event. Elizabeth Canty '26, Lilly Kacziba '27, and James Lukose received auto-qualifications in Lincoln Douglas Debate. Molloy placed 3^rd in Debate for the day, and 3^rd in Debate for the season! 

The following students competed at one or more National qualifying tournament: Kamsi Chukwu '28, Olga Gevko '29, Gongchen Liu '28, Ryder Lombardo '27, James Lukose, Jet Martinez '29, Max Ramdat '29, Anya Satyanarayana, Lizeth Suarez '27, James Vanegas-Molina. Go Stanners!