Hersey debate team takes 3rd in congressional championships

The John Hersey High School debate team traveled to the Illinois Congressional Debate Association state championships on Feb. 10-11 and returned with the third-place trophy, its first team trophy since last October's win.

Senior Moriah Mulroe led the team by being the second highest scoring individual in the whole tournament.

Sophomores Melanie Cohodes, Mike Feltes and Ben Goldberg gave their best performances of the season as they came within 1.5 points of Stevenson and Wheeling high schools, which placed first and second, respectively.

Cohodes was also named to the All-State team by gaining a record number of nominations in the course of the entire season.

Head coach Jack Stanislaw noted, “I thought it was a rebuilding year, so I went to the tournament with few expectations. I guess we rebuilt a little faster than we planned.”

On the Invitational level, junior Vivek Shah and sophomore Mike Miller both won two individual honors: first place Speaker and Presiding awards.

“We work hard all year,” Stanislaw said. “It's gratifying to get some acknowledgment in the postseason.”

The Hersey debaters travel to Bloomington for the Illinois High School Association finals on March 15-17. The IHSA contest focuses only on individual achievement, while the ICDA tournament stresses the team awards.

“One result of the third-place finish: The three returning sophomores will go to next year's tournament with much higher expectations,” Stanislaw said.