Nine students from Lawrence’s two public high schools have qualified for the National Speech & Debate Tournament this June in Dallas.

Five students from Lawrence High School will make the trip: seniors Hayley Luna and Lane Quick, juniors Stefan Petrovic and Joaquin Dorado, and sophomore Natalie Coté.

Free State High School will send four students: seniors Solomon Cottrell and Parker Hopkins, junior Genevieve Prescher, and sophomore Paige Lawrence.

The tournament is hosted by the National Speech & Debate Association. It invites about 3,300 high school students every year to compete for scholarships in 11 main events. The tournament runs from June 14-19 this year.

All of the Lawrence High students will compete in individual events, while Free State’s Cottrell and Hopkins will pair up in the policy debate event.

Jeff Plinsky, head coach of the LHS debate team since 2005, said this is the “second or third time” he has had five students qualify for the national competition. It’s the 29th time the school has competed in the tournament, he said.

He called it “incredibly validating” to see them qualify. “These are five young people who’ve worked very hard,” Plinsky said.

Jason Moore, the Free State coach, said he had four other students qualify as first runners-up for the national tournament. His team has produced nine nationally competing students in his two years as coach.

“I’m very proud of all competitors on my squad,” he said. “I get to watch them work so hard all year long. To see their hard work pay off is a great experience.”