When you say “Wellington,” you say “Winners”… and the Red Dawn Debaters took home plenty of hardware from the first speech and debate tournament of the 2025-2026 season.
Seventeen members of the Wellington Speech & Debate Team took home accolades from the Saturday, September 13, competition at Olympic Heights High School.
In Novice Congressional Debate, Alica Arteaga finished second in her chamber, while Emily Toole placed third. Taking fourth were Tehila Azulay and Nicolas Frangoulidis. Miriella Farias and Abigail Steller each finished fifth, and Julianna Castro took sixth.
Thirteen first-year Wolverines earned at least one judge rank on the day.
Among the varsity legislators, Leonardo Fernandez Castillo placed second, Caden Sahlberg third, and Richard Tanton fourth in their respective chambers.
Earning gavels for their role as presiding officers were Beckett Brent, Ben Dufour, and Gilberto Quintanilla Chapa.
In Dramatic Performance, Izzy Parissos took home second place, while the Duo Interpretation team of Quinn Mawhinney and Jazzlyn Capellan tied for second.
Janelle Galindo placed fifth in Lincoln Douglas Debate, going 3-1 on the day.
Wellington earned four National Speech & Debate Association Honor Society degrees. Riley Hidalgo-Gato earned her Degree of Distinction (250+ points), while Arteaga, Azulay, and Frangoulidis each earned their honor society membership and the Degree of Merit (25 points).