The West High Speech & Debate team kicked off the season with a strong showing at the University of Utah Invitational, one of the largest and most competitive tournaments in the state. The event featured over 350 entries from 27 schools across Utah, and West finished an impressive 2nd place overall, just behind Corner Canyon High School—whose team is more than twice the size of ours.

This outstanding team result was made possible by a deep roster of competitors, all of whom finished with a winning record. It was a full team effort, and we’re proud to highlight some of the top individual performances that contributed to our collective success:

• Anda Xie – 1st Place, Extemporaneous Speaking
• Bianka Chavez – 3rd Place, Original Oratory
• Akshara Senthilkumar & Meixin Zhou – 3rd Place, Duo Interpretation
• Dan Jiang & Nate Shapiro – Semifinalists, Policy Debate
• Sohum Krishna & Kobe Aoki – 1st Place, Policy Debate
• Diya Dagar & Emi Onda – Quarterfinalists, Public Forum Debate
• Penny Miller – Finalist, Student Congress

These results reflect the incredible work ethic, preparation, and talent of our student competitors—and the dedicated leadership of Coach Ryan Knippel, whose tireless efforts continue to shape one of the top programs in the state.

Congratulations to the entire team! We can’t wait to see what’s ahead this season.