Rice Speech and Debate Wins NPDA Sweepstakes National Championship in Debate, Excels in Speech, Brings Home 80 Awards!

Rice Speech and Debate has repeated its sweepstakes win at the National Parliamentary Debate Association National Championship Tournament, keeping the squad national championship at Rice! The squad came very close to closing out the final round, with a team in each semifinal bracket, and brought home the top two speaker awards, with a historic top speaker finish by Rija Naqvi.

So far this semester, Rice has brought home 80 awards! These incredible achievements show the hard work and dedication of these undergraduate academic competitors.

The team is not done yet. “Nationals season” is a time of year loosely analogous to March Madness, with the interesting difference being that there is more than one way to win in speech and debate. One way to think about it is to imagine that a basketball team could win both the NCAA and NIT championships. As they prepare for the American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament (speech nationals), the students are working hard to polish their 21 qualified events! We will update on the results after that event in April.

Meanwhile, here is a report on the team’s incredible accomplishments this semester:

National Parliamentary Debate Association National Championship Tournament, March 8-10, 2025, Lebanon, IL

This larger national tournament features highly competitive teams from around the nation. Rice’s history with the tournament extends back to the beginning of the format, with Rice only missing twice. Rice fielded five teams at this event, all reaching elimination rounds, including first-year students Ridhi Dondeti and Travis Johnson,

Results:

• Tournament Sweepstakes: 1^st Place, National Champions 
• Season Sweepstakes: 1^st Place, National Champions

Speaker Awards:

• Rija Naqvi: Top Overall Speaker. This is a rare accomplishment. Rija is Rice’s first NPDA Top Speaker since 1996.
• Nikki Stancik:  2^nd Overall Speaker. This makes the duo of Stancik and Naqvi members of a very small group of partners who have taken the top two spots at NPDA. 
• Anna Phan: 18th Overall Speake

 Rice came very close to closing out the final round: 

•  Manna Trevino and Anna Phan: Semifinalists, Parliamentary Debate.
• Rija Naqvi and Nikki Stancik: Semifinalists, Parliamentary Debate. 
• William Wang and Rohan Gupta: Octafinalists, Parliamentary Debate.  
• Ridhi Dondeti and Travis Johnson: Octafinalists, Parliamentary Debate.   

Rice won 23 separate debates.

Rice had three NPDA All-American Team Selections. The All-American award recognizes students’ commitment to community service, academic excellence, and competitive success.

Rice All-Americans:

• Rija Naqvi 
• Manna Trevino
• Anna Phan

Coach honored: David Worth was awarded the Brent Northup Distinguished Service Award for decades of service to the NPDA community.

Coach Shannon LaBove continues to serve the community as Treasurer of NPDA.

This finish marks the team’s third Sweepstakes NPDA National Championship in the last four years and its sixth straight year with a top-four finish.

National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence, March 12-14, 2025, Lebanon, IL

The National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence is the second half of the traditional debate nationals run. Qualification for this tournament is based on wins in the regular season.

This tournament features the top 24 ranked teams in the nation in debates, with 2-7 judges in each round. It measures preliminary rounds by ballot count totals; elimination rounds are double-elimination. Teams are given a final ordinal ranking in the tournament.

Going into the tournament, Rice had the number two ranked team of Niqvi and Stancik, number 6 ranked Phan and Trevino, and number 9 ranked Sanderfer and Surya, automatically qualifying them for the tournament. Wang and Gupta qualified as well as an at-large bid, giving Rice the maximum possible entry for this event. 

Results:

• Rice Arjun Surya and Kyle Sanderfer: Semifinalists, Parliamentary Debate.
• Manna Trevino and Anna Phan: Elimination Round 2
• Nikki Stancik and Rija Naqvi: Elimination Round 2

Final placings: 

• Rice Arjun Surya and Kyle Sanderfer: 4^th Overall
• Manna Trevino and Anna Phan 7^th Overall
• Nikki Stancik and Rija Naqvi 8^th Overall

Speaker awards:

• Nikki Stancik: 11^th Overall Speaker.
• Rija Naqvi: 13^th Overall Speaker.
• Arjun Surya: 14^th Overall Speaker.
• Kyle Sanderfer: 16^th Overall Speaker.

Overall, Rice won 31 ballots.

Coach honored: David Worth was awarded the NPTE Most Preferred Critic Award. This award measures the judging preferences submitted by all students from all schools entered in the tournament.  

American Forensic Association District III Qualifying Tournament, March 1, Tyler, TX.

This event is the final chance to qualify for the AFA-National Speech Tournament. Students who did not qualify for an event during the regular season can make a final attempt through the district tournament.

Results: 

• Maya Adhikari: 1^st Impromptu Speaking
• Chloe Pesqueira:  1^st Extemporaneous Speaking ; 3^rd Impromptu Speaking
• Daijah Wilson:  1^st Prose Interpretation

Battle of Flowers Oratorical Contest, February 28, San Antonio, TX

This selective event is the nation’s second-oldest speech contest. Students are competitively selected and deliver memorized manuscript speeches on Texas-oriented themes. Rice has been represented well at this event over the years, and this year was no exception. Maya Adhikari was selected as Rice’s representative this year. Congratulations, Maya!

Texas Shuffle Swing/SAC and TJC February 22-23, San Antonio, TX

Part 1 

Sweepstakes: 4^th

Catherine Cheng: 2^nd Dramatic Interpretation 

Maya Adhikari: 

• 1^st Place Individual Sweepstakes
• 2^nd Extemporaneous Speaking
• 2^nd Impromptu Speaking
• 2^nd Informative Speaking
• 3^rd Communication Analysis

Vedant Khadiya:

• 3^rd After Dinner Speaking
• 4^th Impromptu Speaking

Part 2 

Sweepstakes: 2^nd

Vedant Khadiya:

• 1^st Impromptu Speaking
• 2^nd After Dinner Speaking

Maya Adhikari: 

• 1^st Communication Analysis
• 2^nd Informative Speaking
• 5^th Impromptu Speaking

Mercer University, February 15-16, Macon, GA

Sweepstakes: 1^st Place

• Manna Trevino and Anna Phan: Semifinalists, Parliamentary Debate. 
• Rija Naqvi and Nikki Stancik: Semifinalists, Parliamentary Debate. 
• Arjun Surya and Kyle Sanderfer: Quarterfinalists, Parliamentary Debate.

Speaker Awards:

• Arjun Surya: Top Speaker. His name will go on the inaugural Cam Wade Perpetual Plaque, a traveling trophy honoring Wade and the top speakers at this event. 
• Kyle Sanderfer: 4^th
• Manna Trevino: 6^th
• Anna Phan: 7^th  

Rice won 16 separate debates.

Cornell University/Southern and Northern Atlantic Forensic Union, February 1-2, Ithaca, NY

Part 1

• Maya Adhikari:  3^rd Communication Analysis
• Shay Olaifa:  4^th Prose Interpretation 

Part 2

• Maya Adhikari: 4^th Communication Analysis
• Catherine Cheng: 4^th Dramatic Interpretation 

University of North Carolina-Charlotte, January 25-26

 Sweepstakes: 1^st Place

Shay Olaifa:

• 1^st Programmed Oral Interpretation 
• 1^st Prose Interpretation

Caleb Lin: 

• 2^nd Poetry Interpretation

Catherine Cheng: 

• 2^nd Dramatic Interpretation
• 4^th Programmed Oral Interpretation

Daijah Wilson: 

• 2^nd Persuasive Speaking
• 3^rd Prose Interpretation
• 4^th Informative Speaking

Maya Adhikari: 

• 2^nd Extemporaneous Speaking
• 3^rd Persuasive Speaking

Chloe Pesqueira:

• 4^th Impromptu Speaking
• Finalist: Informative Speaking

University of Texas at Austin, January 18-19

Part 1

• Pranav Nagajothi: 4^th Extemporaneous Speaking
• Vedant Khadiya: 6^th Extemporaneous Speaking

Part 2

• Pranav Nagajothi: 2^nd Extemporaneous Speaking

Mound High Swing, McKendree University, Lebanon, IL, January 9-12

Part 1

• Rija Naqvi and Nikki Stancik: Quarterfinalists, Parliamentary Debate. 
• William Wang and Rohan Gupta: Octafinalists, Parliamentary Debate. 

Part 2

• Anna Phan and Manna Trevino: Quarterfinalists, Parliamentary Debate.
• Rija Naqvi and Nikki Stancik: Quarterfinalists, Parliamentary Debate. 
• Arjun Surya and Kyle Sanderfer: Quarterfinalists, Parliamentary Debate.
• Ridhi Dondeti and Travis Johson: Octafinalists, Parliamentary Debate.
• William Wang and Rohan Gupta: Double-octa finalists, Parliamentary Debate.

I-70 Cup winner (Best combined performance at regional tournaments):

• Rija Naqvi and Nikki Stancik

Combined speaker awards

• Rija Naqvi: 10^th

NPTE 1st Round Bid Announcements:

• Anna Phan and Manna Trevino
• Arjun Surya and Kyle Sanderfer 
• Rija Naqvi and Nikki Stancik 

Please join us in congratulating these academic competitors! The team will next compete at the American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament, hosted by the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

Rice Speech and Debate is coached by David Worth and Shannon LaBove. For more information, please visit humanities.rice.edu/speech-and-debate.