Albuquerque Academy’s Speech & Debate team concluded its 2025–26 season with an impressive showing at both the State Championship and the New Mexico District National Qualifier, earning multiple state titles, national qualifications, and top overall honors.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SUCCESS
At the State Championship (February 26-28), 44 Chargers competed across nine Speech & Debate events, demonstrating both depth and versatility.
Seven students earned state champion titles, with the Academy capturing state titles in five separate events. Director of Speech & Debate Elise Matton notes that several of this year’s achievements were particularly significant: Anagha Devarakonda ’26 and Rosa Duvall ’26 each became two-time state champions, earning titles in both Speech and Debate categories. In addition, Anagha and Jaycee Marquez ’26 made program history as the first known three-time consecutive state champions in Varsity Public Forum Debate, having won as sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Rosa and William Landahl ’26 also captured the Policy Debate title, marking the Academy’s first win in that event in five years.
State Champions
- Irene Arce-Cortazar ’29 & Nistha Koli ’29 — 1st place, Novice Public Forum Debate
- Anagha Devarakonda ’26 — 1st place, International Extemporaneous Speaking
- Anagha Devarakonda ’26 & Jaycee Marquez ’26 — 1st place, Varsity Public Forum Debate
- Rosa Duvall ’26 & William Landahl ’26 — 1st place, Policy Debate
- Rosa Duvall ’26 & Valerie Meza ’26 — 1st place, Duo Interpretation
Honorable Mentions
- William Landahl ’26 — 2nd place, International Extemporaneous Speaking
- Sowmya Sankaran ’27 — 3rd place, Varsity Lincoln Douglas Debate
- Sai Megha Alavala ’30 — 3rd place, Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate
- Avett Deacon ’28 — 3rd place, Humorous Interpretation
- Zoya Jehanzeb ’28 — 3rd place, United States Extemporaneous Speaking
- Avett Deacon ’28 — 4th place, United States Extemporaneous Speaking
- Alex Stromberg ’28 — 5th place, Original Oratory
- Anagha Devarakonda ’26 — 5th place, Informative Speaking
- Iyla Hernden ’26 — 6th place, Informative Speaking
- Arjun Grandhe ’27 & Joseph Rounds ’27 — Quarter-finalists, Varsity Public Forum Debate
- Zoya Jehanzeb ’28 & Laasya Tutiki ’29 — Quarter-finalists, Varsity Public Forum Debate
In addition to individual honors, Albuquerque Academy was once again named an Overall School of Excellence in both Speech and Debate — the highest recognition awarded at the state level. “The team has earned this distinction every year since the state adopted its current sweepstakes model,” says Elise, underscoring a sustained tradition of excellence.
NATIONAL QUALIFIERS EMERGE FROM DISTRICT TOURNAMENT
The team’s success continued at the New Mexico District National Qualifier, with District Congress held on February 14 and District Speech & Debate taking place March 20-21 on Albuquerque Academy’s campus.
Ten students qualified for the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament, to be held this summer in Richmond, Virginia. Advancing to nationals requires competitors to place among the top performers in the district, making qualification a significant individual achievement.
NSDA National Qualifiers 2026
- Avett Deacon ’28 — Humorous Interpretation
- Anagha Devarkonda ’26 — Informative Speaking
- Arjun Grandhe ’27 — World Schools Debate
- Eesha Reddy Gunukula ’27 — Congressional Debate (House)
- Athena Hanna ’29 — Congressional Debate (House)
- William Landahl ’26 — World Schools Debate
- Videet Modhia ’26 — Lincoln Douglas Debate
- Hayden Roth ’26 — World Schools Debate
- Sowmya Sankaran ’27 — Lincoln Douglas Debate
- Katherine Xie ’27 — Original Oratory
Honorable Mentions
- Zoya Jehanzeb ’28 — 1st alternate, International US Extemporaneous Speaking
- Hayden Roth ’26 — 1st alternate, Congressional Debate (Senate)
- Brooke Harmon ’27 — 2nd alternate, Congressional Debate (Senate)
- Maia Griffith ’27 — 2nd alternate, International Extemporaneous Speaking
- Sohum Kopalle ’28 & Leo Xia ’28 — 2nd alternates, Policy Debate
- Athena Hanna ’29 & Susheer Paladugu ’29 — 2nd alternates, Public Forum Debate
- Dominic Rosner-Salazar ’28 — 3rd alternate, Humorous Interpretation
- Alex Stromberg ’28 — 3rd alternate, Original Oratory
- Susheer Paladugu ’29 — 3rd alternate, Congressional Debate (House)
- Sophia Nguyen ’27 — 4th alternate, Congressional Debate (House)
- Isaac Lacerda ’27 — 4th alternate, Lincoln Douglas Debate
Team Honors and Continuing Excellence
Albuquerque Academy also earned the 2025 District Cumulative Sweepstakes Award, commonly known as the Traveling Trophy. This honor recognizes sustained excellence across the district tournament series, based on cumulative performance since the award was last won. The Academy will retain the trophy until the next annual competition.
Notably, Elise Matton was named NMSDA Debate Coach of the Year at the state tournament and, most recently, District Coach of the Year at the qualifier.
