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The Dripping Springs High School Speech & Debate team continued its strong spring season with top finishes at major state and national competitions, including a return trip to the quarterfinals at the prestigious Tournament of Champions.
Competing in Lexington, Kentucky, Dripping Springs advanced to the quarterfinal round for the second consecutive year. The team’s Secretariat squad included Liam Ianiro, Abir Kulkarni, Zoey Parks, Pia Rajneesh and Shreyas Rangaraju.
At the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament in March, 12 Dripping Springs students qualified to compete. In World Schools Debate, Liam Ianiro placed fourth and Zoey Parks placed sixth among top speakers in the state.
Students competing at the state tournament included:
- World Schools Debate: Liam Ianiro, Zoey Parks, Shreyas Rangaraju, Anayeli Hernandez, Thomas Ibanez Duran, Zoe Perez, Elizabeth Banks and Bennett James
- Congressional Debate: Aaniya Khan and Pia Rajneesh
- Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Abir Kulkarni
- Program Oral Interpretation: Anvika Jain
Four students also qualified for the National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament, scheduled for June 14–19 in Richmond, Virginia. Qualifiers include Liam Ianiro, Abir Kulkarni and Zoey Parks in World Schools Debate, along with Pia Rajneesh in Congressional Debate.
In addition to competitive success, six students earned Academic All-American honors from the National Speech and Debate Association: Annika Gillella, Jenna Hall, Aaniya Khan, Liam Ianiro, Abir Kulkarni and Zoey Parks. The recognition requires students to reach a Superior Distinction level of 750 points, complete at least five semesters of high school coursework, maintain a minimum 3.7 GPA and demonstrate strong character and leadership.
The honors cap off another successful year for the Dripping Springs program, which continues to rank among the top speech and debate teams in Texas.
