LPS speech teams produce medal-winning moments at national contest

June 23, 2025

Lincoln Public Schools students made “Eloquence in Action” a winning motto this spring with multiple top moments at a national speech tournament.
 
High school students from East, Lincoln High, North Star, Southeast and Southwest traveled to Liberty North (Mo.) High School for the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC). Competitors from dozens of states took part in 12 speech categories at NIETOC. They earned recognition for reaching the octafinals (top 60), quarterfinals (top 30), semifinals (top 12) and finals (top six) of their events. They scored points for their teams based on how far they advanced.
 
NIETOC officials split schools into three equal divisions – Act I, Act II and Act III – based on how many competitors they brought to the contest. Lincoln High and North Star took part in Act I, which featured 92 schools. Southeast was one of 65 teams in Act II and East and Southwest were in the 25-team Act III.

 
East’s 29-person team returned to Lincoln with elated feelings after earning second place on the Act III leaderboard. The Spartans finished in the top three spots for the third time in school history. East pocketed second place in 2015 and captured third place last year.
 
East seniors Nusrat Amin and Max Apel said all the Spartans were thrilled with the way the tournament worked out.
 
“When the news was first announced, I remember everyone feeling shocked and amazed to be named second in the nation,” Apel said. “Still, we had hoped that the hard work and dedication our team put in would pay off.”
 
“We were super happy,” Amin said. “Our team spirit throughout the tournament was high as everyone was supporting each other, so it made our second place feel more like a first-place victory.”
 
Head coach Nick Herink said the second-place finish was a testament to the time and effort the Spartans put into their craft. Moorhead (Minn.) High School (268 points), East (244) and Texas-based Harlingen South High School (216) were the only three teams to surpass the 200-point plateau at the tournament.
 
“It still doesn’t feel real!” Herink said. “The kids and coaches on this team put in an incredible amount of work. Speech is a year-round activity involving nearly 70 students at East, and seeing this group that has been through so much together finish second in the nation – I’m at a loss for words.”
 
Senior Linnea Blankenhorn paced the Spartans with a national championship in the Oral Interpretation of Poetry contest. Tim Gabbard of Moorhead was second, Harlingen (Texas) High School’s Brooklynn Dunston was third and Lincoln East teammate Ethan Phan finished fourth. Blankenhorn earned first place out of 63 competitors.

 
Blankenhorn became the sixth East student to win a national title since NIETOC began in 2010. East’s previous national champions were Carla Seravalli (2015, Expository Speaking), Suvy Qin (2015, Original Oratory), Claire Rooney (2023, Poetry Interpretation), Max Apel (2024, Dramatic Interpretation) and Luke Nash (2024, Poetry Interpretation).
 
“When I learned that I was the national champion of Poetry Interpretation I was shocked but also relieved,” Blankenhorn said. “I had put so much work over the year to polish and refine my piece, and finally getting to see that hard work pay off was amazing.”
 
Blankenhorn said she enjoyed the freedom of choosing her own poems to perform throughout the year. She also liked expressing her viewpoints through a creative lens.
 
“The thing I enjoyed most about Poetry Interpretation was being able to convey a message through multiple characters all connected by the topic,” Blankenhorn said. “I was able to act, while also putting out a message I truly believe in.”
 
Amin and Apel both earned finalist honors in multiple categories. Apel pocketed a pair of third-place medals in the Humorous Interpretation (176 entries) and Dramatic Interpretation (199 entries) contests, and Amin secured third place for her work in Program Oral Interpretation (162 competitors). Amin also paired with junior Zach Johannes for a fourth-place medal in the Duet Acting category (102 entries).

 
Amin and Apel felt the iron-sharpens-iron concept was true at NIETOC. They said competing against dozens of the nation’s best speakers helped them improve their techniques and strategies on stage.
 
“It’s super fun!” Amin said. “Getting to see everyone from different states as well as seeing different pieces is inspiring and moving and allows for the competitors to grow from each other.”
 
“Having the opportunity to compete alongside and learn from performers from across the nation helps me and my teammates grow as competitors,” Apel said. “To be a strong actor, you have to constantly study others, stay open to feedback and be willing to adapt your style. Competing at NIETOC gives us the perfect chance to do exactly that.”
 
Blankenhorn said the supportive atmosphere within East’s program was a primary factor in the team’s second-place finish. She said she would carry those memories with her for the rest of her life.
 
“The best part of being involved in speech at East was being able to lean on peers and coaches for help in anything we needed,” Blankenhorn said. “Whether it was help with a speech piece, or some drama in our lives, there was always someone there willing to listen and help. I met some of my best friends through speech and I would never do it differently.”
 
Lincoln High’s Tristyanna Lewy paced the Links with a semifinal appearance in the Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose category. She placed eighth out of 80 competitors.
 
Mabruka Mumade led North Star by reaching the octafinals in Original Oratory (213 entries). Phoenix Braatz and DaZayah Hartshorn-Harvey guided Southeast with quarterfinal appearances. Braatz placed 13th in Expository Speaking (71 competitors) and 19th in Poetry Interpretation, and Hartshorn-Harvey earned 14th place in Program Oral Interpretation.
 
Danielle Ibe-Ikechi and Brooklyn Bruggeman each reached the semifinals for Southwest’s squad. Ibe-Ikechi captured eighth place in Poetry Interpretation and Bruggeman netted a tenth-place finish in Program Oral Interpretation.

2025 LPS NIETOC Results

Lincoln East Results

Dramatic Interpretation: Max Apel (Finalist, 3rd place)
Duet Acting: Nusrat Amin and Zach Johannes (Finalists, 4th); Andrea Hu and Sophia Wang (Quarterfinalists, 27th)
Duo Interpretation: Abena Bonsu and Zach Johannes (Semifinalists, 8th); Gavin Foust and Claire Rooney (Quarterfinalist, 29th); Avery Fast and Jack Welstead (Octafinalists)
Humorous Interpretation: Max Apel (Finalist, 3rd); Sawyer Shaner (Quarterfinalist, 28th); Cora Thompson (Octafinalist); Wade Combs (Octafinalist)
Informative Speaking: Claire Rooney (Quarterfinalist, 16th); Vesta Anderson (Quarterfinalist, 21st); Nitya Haridas (Octafinalist)
Original Oratory: Jack Welstead (Semifinalist, 8th); Belinda Qiao (Quarterfinalist, 22nd); Cinae Schneider (Octafinalist)
Poetry Interpretation: Linnea Blankenhorn (National Champion, 1st); Ethan Phan (Finalist, 4th)
Program Oral Interpretation: Nusrat Amin (Finalist, 3rd)

Lincoln High Results

Oral Interpretation of Serious Prose: Tristyanna Lewy (Semifinalist, 8th)
Poetry Interpretation: Mahshid Farahmand (Quarterfinalist, 15th); Ariana Martinez Giron (Quarterfinalist, 22nd)

Lincoln North Star Results

Original Oratory: Mabruka Mumade (Octafinalist)

Lincoln Southeast Results

Expository Speaking: Phoenix Braatz (Quarterfinalist, 13th)
Humorous Interpretation: DaZayah Hartshorn-Harvey (Octafinalist)
Original Oratory: Aolani Wilson (Octafinalist)
Poetry Interpretation: Phoenix Braatz (Quarterfinalist, 19th)
Program Oral Interpretation: DaZayah Hartshorn-Harvey (Quarterfinalist, 14th); Aolani Wilson (Octafinalist)

Lincoln Southwest Results

Dramatic Interpretation: Brooklyn Bruggeman (Quarterfinalist, 23rd)
Duet Acting: Kate Bollinger and Macy Gonderinger (Octafinalists)
Duo Interpretation: Brooklyn Shoemaker and Mason Farmer (Octafinalists); Jordyn Davis and Jack McCormick (Octafinalists)
Humorous Interpretation: Brooklyn Shoemaker (Octafinalist)
Poetry Interpretation: Danielle Ibe-Ikechi (Semifinalist, 8th); Lyra Walsh (Quarterfinalist, 18th)
Program Oral Interpretation: Brooklyn Bruggeman (Semifinalist, 10th)

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