On Tuesday, February 25th, the Yakking Raiders proudly hosted the Class C Nebraska Frontier Conference Championship at Brownell Talbot for the first time in school history, marking a major milestone for the speech team. Welcoming teams from across the conference, the Raiders rose to the occasion on their home stage and delivered a dominant performance.

With 11 competitors representing the team across 10 events, the raiders showcased depth, preparation, and poise throughout the evening. The tournament began at 4:30 PM and ran until approximately 10:30 PM, featuring two preliminary rounds followed by finals and an awards ceremony. From the first round onward, it was clear the home team was in top form.

The Yakking Raiders captured 1st place in 9 out of 10 events and secured the overall Conference Championship title by an astounding 132-point margin, a decisive victory that reflected their preparation and teamwork.

The team is led by Captain Mahalet Kinde, whose leadership helped guide the raiders through a historic night. The officer team includes Adrishya Kumar as Limited Preparation Events Chair, Dori Primmer and Jasmine Nlam as Co-Interpretation Chairs, and Madison Marco as Platform Events Chair.

The team is coached by Head Coach Baylor Winters, a pre-pharmacy student at the University of Nebraska Omaha, Assistant Coach Abhinav Suresh, a Brownell Talbot alumnus from the Class of 2016 who is currently getting his master’s in business at UPenn, and Assistant Coach Alanna Doll, who is currently studying dentistry at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Their guidance and preparation made a huge difference in the team’s success, helping the Raiders feel confident and ready to perform at their best.

Conference Results:

Duet Acting (DA)

• Jasmine Nlam & Mahalet Kinde – CHAMPIONS

Entertainment Speaking (ENT)

• Teagan McCallister – CHAMPION

• Dori Primmer – RUNNER-UP

Extemporaneous Speaking (EXT)

• Lara Blume – CHAMPION

• Nadia Jeyaram – RUNNER-UP

Oral Interpretation of Humorous Prose (HUM)

• Madison Marco – RUNNER-UP

• Carter Bell – 3rd Place

Informative Speaking (INF)

• Jasmine Nlam – CHAMPION

• Teagan McCallister – 3rd Place

Oral Interpretation of Drama (OID)

• Carter Bell, Dori Primmer, Teagan McCallister – CHAMPIONS

• Ananya Deshmukh, Angelina Bhandari, Diya Chirumamilla, Kavya Dutt Bhardwaj, Sraavya Doddapaneni – RUNNERS-UP

Persuasive Speaking (PER)

• Adrishya Kumar – CHAMPION

• Madison Marco – RUNNER UP

Oral Interpretation of Poetry (POE) 

• Mahalet Kinde – CHAMPION

• Kavya Dutt Bhardwaj – RUNNER UP

Program Oral Interpretation (POI)

• Mahalet Kinde – CHAMPION

• Angelina Bhandari – RUNNER-UP

Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose (SER)

• Jasmine Nlam – CHAMPION

• Madison Marco – 3rd Place

Individual Sweepstakes (competitors who garnered the most points): 

• Mahalet Kinde – CHAMPION
• Jasmine Nlam – RUNNER-UP
• Teagan McCallister – 3rd Place
• Madison Marco – 4th Place