Thanks to Lawrence High School speech and debate coach Jeff Plinsky and his prolific Twitter account, we have some early results from the National Forensics League tournament being held in Birmingham, Ala.

LHS senior Lauren Pauls advanced to the semi finals in congressional debate – Senate, and still is competing as of today. We may know by tonight whether she advances further.

Meanwhile, freshman Stefan Petrovic and sophomore Clara Cobb made it to the semis, placing them among the top 60 competitors in their respective events nationally. Petrovic finished 59th in foreign extemporaneous speaking. Cobb placed 56th in humorous interpretation.

Senior Eddie Loupe finished with a 2-10 record in Lincoln-Douglas debate and did not advance beyond the preliminary rounds.