Harrison High School Debate Team Off to an Impressive Start to Season
The Harrison High School Debate Team has launched the 2026-27 season with an impressive start. Just weeks into the new season, Harrison debaters have earned top finishes at some of the country’s most competitive tournaments and are proving that they are ready to compete at the highest levels of high school debate. Senior Flynn Williams already has earned two bids to the Tournament of Champions and is currently ranked the #1 Lincoln-Douglas debater nationally by the National Speech and Debate Association, as well as the #1 Lincoln-Douglas debater in New York.
At the Harvard Season Opener, Jordan Blake placed second, Gabi Catanzariti placed fifth, and Kevin Iwanski placed seventh. Sebastian Engle advanced to the top 16 among 129 debaters at the Loyola tournament in California. The team also excelled at the National Speech & Debate Association’s Season Opener, where Flynn Williams placed third among 231 competitors from across the country, earning his first qualifying bid to the Tournament of Champions. Kevin Iwanski advanced to the top 16, while Sebastian Engle and Atharv Gandhi also earned awards. Atharv is currently ranked the #20 Lincoln-Douglas debater nationally by the National Speech and Debate Association, and #2 in New York.
At the Greenhill tournament in Texas, Flynn Williams placed seventh among 94 of the nation’s top debaters, earning his second qualifying bid to the Tournament of Champions and his ninth bid in the last three years. Sebastian Engle also turned in a strong performance, placing among the top 30. At the JV level, Ashley Cho won the Lexington JV Round Robin and Oviya Gandhi was named Top Speaker.
With these strong finishes at the start of the season, the HHS Debate Team has established an impressive record and continues to demonstrate the skill, preparation, and dedication as one of the top debate teams in the country.