From left, East High School students Gavin Foust, Zach Johannes, Claire Rooney and Ethan Phan smile with their trophies at the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Richmond, Va. They are holding their trophies in front of a lights and a grid-style background.

East students create winning moments at national tournament

Lincoln Public Schools

July 8, 2026

Lincoln Public Schools students held championship-level conversations this summer in their national speech and debate contests.

More than four dozen LPS students traveled to Richmond, Va., for the National Speech and Debate Tournament. Nearly 6,000 people from 48 states, two United States territories and six countries came together for competitive events, medal ceremonies and networking opportunities.

The tournament showcased the strength of LPS speech and debate programs in Nebraska. Fifty-one students from Lincoln High (2), East (27), North Star (4), Northwest (3), Southeast (6) and Southwest (9) competed at nationals. The rest of Nebraska had 38 attendees from nine schools.

East

Twenty-seven Spartans filled their Eastern Standard Time trip with East Winning Time moments. Nine students vaulted into the top 20 spots of their speech contests, and two debate team members earned a top 15 award in their event.

The Spartans finished among the top ten schools for overall speech and debate team points. This allowed East to receive a School of Outstanding Distinction honor for the fourth consecutive year. There were four schools from California, two from Florida and one from Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina and Texas on the prestigious list.

Seniors Zach Johannes, Gavin Foust, Claire Rooney and Ethan Phan highlighted the week with major speech trophies. Johannes became the first student in LPS history to win a national championship in a main speech category. He finished first out of 263 Dramatic Interpretation competitors.

Foust placed third out of 260 Program Interpretation competitors, and Rooney earned fourth place in the 275-person Informative Speaking contest. Phan joined Johannes on the Dramatic Interpretation medal stand with a fifth-place finish.

East head speech coach Nick Herink said he was extremely proud of all four Spartans.

“Most speech students spend their careers performing in classrooms for a few judges and a handful of spectators,” Herink said. “To watch Claire, Gavin, Ethan and Zach step onto a large stage in front of hundreds of people and under the brightest lights our activity has to offer was surreal. And to watch Zach win this first main event national championship in LPS history was the cherry on top.”

Judges rewarded Johannes for his detailed performance in the Dramatic Interpretation event, which requires contestants to convey emotion found in a dramatic text. Students could base their ten-minute presentation on a play, short story or other published work.

Johannes said he would treasure his final EHS appearance because of the support he received from teammates.

“The thing I enjoyed most about nationals were the final memories I made as a high schooler with my peers,” Johannes said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my high school career, and I’m so glad I got to share the stage with my best friends.”

Foust and Phan also felt the group’s close-knit nature put them in a position to do well.

“When we were in Richmond, our team was constantly looking out for one another and pushing for each other to meet a higher standard,” Foust said. “From hotel room coaching to nightly pep talks to car jams before the tournament, the positivity and unity is what led to my success.”

“I was able to make a multitude of memories alongside my friends,” Phan said. “From screaming at our favorite songs on the way to the tournament to laughing non-stop throughout the trip, it was an unforgettable experience for me.”

East head debate coach John Holen said he was also pleased with his team’s performances. Arnav Agarwal and Ronav Ganesh stepped into the spotlight with a 14th-place finish in the Public Forum contest. They earned a national award with their result.

“Arnav and Ronav are just the second and third four-time qualifiers from East debate in the last 15 years,” Holen said. “They were also in the top four last year. So, it was awesome seeing them end their storied career together on the big stage again.”

Holen said many other Spartans gained important knowledge about various debate styles found throughout the country.

“The first year at nationals gives kids an opportunity to start to understand those different perspectives earlier in their career,” Holen said. “So many of our younger students are walking away with a better understanding of their judges for future trips to nationals, which should give them the opportunity to help us see continued success in years to come.”

Other Spartans who attended nationals included Brad Bobaru, Wade Combs, Cooper Doell, Sloan Donahoo, Jason Granquist, Sukruth Jangala, Emery Jobst, Cora Jones, Jackson Lynch, Lucas Neamu, Nolan Peterson, Belinda Qiao, Charlie Sanchez-Masi, Shriish Sathish, Cinae Schneider, Amelia Schupbach, Sawyer Shaner, Erin Suh, Gabe Wick, Grayson Williams and James Yu.

Herink said he believes the future is bright for East’s speech and debate teams.

“Victories like these are the key to making the impossible feel possible,” Herink said. “We had a group of underclassmen who did great at this tournament as well. On our ride back to the hotel from the awards ceremony, they were all excitedly talking about next year and how the success of these seniors made them believe they could do it as well. We’ve been fortunate enough to have kids on the national stage the last three years in a row. Success has a way of echoing forward.”

East Speech Results

Dramatic Interpretation: Zach Johannes (1st, national champion), Ethan Phan (5th, national award winner)

Program Interpretation: Gavin Foust (3rd, national award winner)

Informative Speaking: Claire Rooney (4th, national award winner)

Original Oratory: Charlie Sanchez-Masi (16th, quarterfinalist), Belinda Qiao (17th, quarterfinalist)

Duo Interpretation: Wade Combs and Sawyer Shaner (19th, quarterfinalists)

Humorous Interpretation: Amelia Schupbach (33rd, octafinalist), Sloan Donahoo (37th, octafinalist)

Prose Reading: Amelia Schupbach (9th, semifinalist), Sloan Donahoo (23rd, quarterfinalist)

Expository Speaking: Cooper Doell (double octafinalist)

East Debate Results

Public Forum: Arnav Agarwal and Ronav Ganesh (14th, national award winners)

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Twelve East High School students stand in two rows at the National Speech and Debate Tournament. There are three girls and four boys standing in the front row and one girl and four boys standing in the second row. All of the students are holding either medals, trophies or plaques.East High School student Zach Johannes smiles with two trophies he earned at the National Speech and Debate Tournament. One trophy is shaped like a bowl on top of a square cube. The second trophy has a sculpted image of two people raising their hands above a column-shaped platform.Twenty-six East High School students stand in three rows in front of the Washington Monument. They took part in the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Richmond, Va.Fourteen East High School debate team students in front of the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. They took part in the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Richmond, Va.