Members of the Prior Lake High School Speech Team are headed back to the national stage after earning multiple qualifications for the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament being held this summer in Richmond, Virginia.
Prior Lake students Chloe Erickson and Jayden Nelson qualified in Duo Interpretation, while Katie Weaver earned a national berth in Dramatic Interpretation. Per NSDA rules, students may only compete in one event at the national tournament. Erickson and Weaver each qualified in multiple categories but will compete in the events previously listed.
Erickson also captured a first-place finish in Humorous Interpretation, and Weaver earned second place in Program Oral Interpretation. In addition, Erickson and Nelson placed first in Duo Interpretation, while Weaver took second in Dramatic Interpretation.
The team delivered an outstanding overall performance at the district tournament, which spanned approximately 25 hours of competition over two days.
Other students who participated in district competition and placements earned included:
- Wyatt Gillis, Humorous Interpretation, 7th place
- Sophie Kalis and Ella McConnell, Duo Interpretation, 8th place
- Drew Follingstad and Wyatt Gillis, Duo Interpretation, 11th place
This year’s competition marked a historic milestone for the program as the Prior Lake team was crowned as the district champion for the first time ever, which was an achievement made even more notable with two students earning the top place in the same year. Additionally, Weaver became the first student in program history to qualify for the national tournament for three consecutive years.
