What is the "TOC"?
The Tournament of Champions, administered by the University of Kentucky, offers the most elite national championship for speech and debate events every April. To attend the TOC, each debate team must earn two qualifying bids at different prestigious national invitationals and each speech entry must earn one qualifying bid at different national tournaments. The TOC is a four day competition that tests students mental strength and endurance as every competitor is highly qualified and there are no "easy debates" unlike other national championships.
Marist School students have earned 94 bids since 2012 across seven different events. For a complete history of students that have earned bids, click here.
PROGRAM FIRSTS AT THE TOC
Marist School earned their first bid to the Tournament of Champions in Policy Debate in 2012. Since the program's first bid, reaching the TOC has become a goal of almost every debater in the program, as it represents the highest level of success.
In 2015, Marist School became the first Georgia school to ever qualify students in more than one event.
In 2017, Marist School became the first Georgia school to ever qualify students in more than one debate event.
In 2018, Paul Plaia '18 became the first Georgia student to ever reach elimination rounds at the Tournament of Champions in a speech event and first ever Marist student to reach elimination rounds at the tournament.
In 2020, Marist School became the first Georgia school to ever fully qualify two teams in Public Forum debate.
In 2021, Anthony Ovadje ‘21 & Lauryn Walker ‘21 became the first ever all-Black public forum team to qualify to the Tournament of Champions.
Best Finishes at the TOC
In 2018, Paul Plaia '18 finished in the top 24 after preliminary rounds in Extemporaneous Speaking to become the first ever student from Georgia to reach an elimination round in a speech event at the Tournament of Champions. He finished with a cumulative rank of under 16 (which averaged a 2 or better in every round).
He was paired with students from Trinity Prep (FL), Plano West (TX), LC Anderson (TX), Naperville North (IL) and Battle Ground Academy (TN) in the quarterfinals (three of the six would place in the top 7 at the TOC that year). He finished 15th overall.
In 2021, Claire Lauterbach '22 & Sydney Vance '21 won five out of seven preliminary debates becoming only the second team in state history to qualify for the elimination debates. They defeated teams from NSDA China (China), Newton South (MA), Northview (GA), Winston Churchill (MD), American Heritage Broward (FL) and Coppell (TX).
They reached the Octofinals of the tournament where they lost a close 2-1 decision to Univeristy School (OH) and finished 9th in the country.
In 2022, Josh Escayg '23 & Claire Lauterbach '22 won five out of seven preliminary debates qualifying for the elimination debates. They defeated teams from VDA Vancouver (Canada), North Broward Prep (FL), Southlake Carroll (TX), Richard Montgomery (MD), and Westlake (TX).
At the largest Tournament of Champions ever, the duo made it to the Double Octofinals where they lost on a 2-1 decision to Lambert (GA) and placed in the top twenty in the country.