SCAPA & Lafayette Claim 2026 Regional Speech Titles

Teams from SCAPA at Bluegrass and Lafayette High School won their respective divisions in the 2026 Bluegrass Regional Speech Tournament, organized by the Kentucky High School Speech League. Paul Laurence Dunbar High was runner-up in the senior group. 

Notably, this was SCAPA’s 30th consecutive regional championship! The junior division winners below are all from SCAPA. 

2026 Awards by Category

Junior Broadcasting

• Champion: Jonathan Owens
• Runner-up: Conrad Smith

Senior Broadcasting

• Champion: Lucy Shepherd of Lafayette
• Runner-up: Ezra Anglin of Lafayette

Junior Declamation

• Champion: Madison Briggs
• Runner-up: Alice Wright

Senior Declamation

• Champion: Angie Chen of Dunbar
• Runner-up: Vedanshi Das of Dunbar

Junior Dramatic Interpretation

• Champion: Jonathan Owens
• Runner-up: Yunia Huffman

Senior Dramatic Interpretation

• Champion: Calynn Logue of Lafayette
• Runner-up: Isabelle Dinh of Lafayette

Junior Duo Acting

• Champion: Leah Gillispie & Katelyn Windhorn
• Runner-up: Finley Mallory & Madison Briggs

Senior Duo Interpretation

• Champion: Esme Morris & Katelyn Knox of Lafayette
• Runner-up: M. Fan & Neya Sathya of Dunbar

Junior Extemporaneous Speaking

• Champion: Noor Badin
• Runner-up: Mary Grace Collins

Senior Extemporaneous Speaking

• Champion: Matthew Hancock of Lafayette
• Runner-up: Avinash Koul of Lafayette

Junior Humorous Interpretation

• Champion: Jonathan Owens
• Runner-up: Anne Blair Walter

Senior Humorous Interpretation

• Champion: Esme Morris of Lafayette
• Runner-up: Isabelle Kelemen of Lafayette

Junior Impromptu Speaking

• Champion: Emily Beck
• Runner-up: Molly Kate Boling

Senior Impromptu Speaking

• Champion: Jason Sung of Henry Clay
• Runner-up: Matthew Hancock of Lafayette

Junior Improvisational Duo

• Champion: Katelyn Windhorn & Anne Blair Walter
• Runner-up: Leah Gillispie & Olive Spry

Senior Improvisational Duo

• Champion: Priya Chandrashekar & Pratika Diggikar of Dunbar
• Runner-up: Esme Morris & Maya Duggal of Lafayette

Senior Informative Speaking

• Champion: Caitlyn Douglas of Lafayette
• Runner-up: Mei Wu of Dunbar

Junior Original Oratory

• Champion: Emma Clark
• Runner-up: Molly Kate Boling

Senior Original Oratory

• Champion: Rylie Humphress of Lafayette
• Runner-up: Ezra Anglin of Lafayette

Junior Poetry

• Champion: Katelyn Windhorn
• Runner-up: Patton Barlow-Fiero

Senior Poetry

• Champion: Taylor McQuillen of Dunbar
• Runner-up: Maya Duggal of Lafayette

Senior Program Oral Interpretation

• Champion: Maya Duggal of Lafayette
• Runner-up: Sarah Ratner of Dunbar

Junior Prose

• Champion: Finley Mallory
• Runner-up: Connor Murphy

Senior Prose

• Champion: Pratika Diggikar of Dunbar

Junior Storytelling

• Champion: Finley Mallory
• Runner-up: Madison Briggs

Senior Storytelling

• Champion: Isabelle Dinh of Lafayette
• Runner-up: Katelyn Knox of Lafayette

The Bluegrass Region includes schools in these counties: Bath, Boyle, Casey, Clark, Clinton, Estill, Fayette, Garrard, Jackson, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, McCreary, Mercer, Montgomery, Nicholas, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Washington, Wayne, and Woodford.