Moorhead Area Public Schools is proud to announce that the Moorhead High School Speech Team claimed their seventh consecutive Minnesota State High School League Class AA State Team Championship at the State Speech Tournament on April 28-29, 2023. The Spuds took home 17 medals in total, fourth most at a single tournament in MSHSL history. The Spuds now have 34 State Champions and 260 team medals.
2023 Spud State Medalists include:
Lief Carlson (1st Dramatic)
Tate Horan (1st Humorous)
Finn Larson (1st Poetry)
Chase Schmidt (1st Storytelling)
Amelia Bailly (2nd Poetry)
Greta Homuth & Olivia Dahlberg (2nd in Duo)
Andrina Rockstad (2nd Great Speeches)
Karena Christenson (3rd Informative)
Macy Larson (3rd Great Speeches)
Hameedah Oladele (3rd Oratory)
Sergio Guerrero (5th Creative)
Nona Harrison (6th Storytelling)
Maya Weiler (6th Dramatic)
Luc duCharme (7th Prose)
Sam Schaefer (7th Oratory)
Evan Froslie (8th Storytelling)
Elise Halvorson (8th Great Speeches)
Additionally, sophomore Elise Halvorson competed concurrently online in the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) Last Chance Qualifier Tournament and, after six rounds and nearly 200 competitors, finished in the top 16 in Oratory and qualified for the 2023 NSDA National Tournament.
With the Minnesota season now complete, 18 Spuds will look ahead to the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC) in two weeks and Nationals next month in Phoenix, AZ.
Fun MHS Speech Team facts by the numbers:
10 - The Spuds have earned at least one gold medal in each of the last ten State Tournaments.
11 - Moorhead has earned ten or more medals in each of the last eleven State Tournaments.
19 - The number of Spud State Champions since 2016; the most in Minnesota over the last seven State Tournaments. Apple Valley, Eagan, and Eastview each have ten champions in that span.
106 - Total medals earned by Moorhead since winning their first of seven straight State titles in 2016, the most in Minnesota. In that span, Apple Valley has won 76, Eagan 70, Eastview, 62, and Lakeville North, 54.
260 - The number of total medals earned in team history, third most all-time in Class AA (Apple Valley, 441; Eagan 348).