Photo provided Wheeling Park High School speech and debate team members take a break while competing at the JW Patterson Tournament of Champions, taking place this past weekend at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Pictured from left are Will Medovic, McKenna Guthoerl, and Levi Powell.

WHEELING – The success of the Wheeling Park High School speech and debate team is legendary in West Virginia, and now its members are proving they are among the top competitors in America.

Eight team members qualified for the national JW Patterson Tournament of Champions, held this past weekend at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Four returned home with trophies.

McKenna Guthoerl finished in second place in oral interpretation, while Levi Powell also placed second in original oratory.

Will Medovic finished in sixth place in oral interpretation, and Anna Contraguerro was a semifinalist in the same category.

There were 1,375 competitors from 318 schools in 37 states, coach Jen Mathieu reported.

Mathieu spoke Monday as she and the team traveled by bus back to Wheeling after leaving for Lexington on Friday.

“I am beyond proud as a coach,” she said. “It is understood in our community what the speech team can do, but it is awesome to show the world stage what Wheeling Park High School, Ohio County Schools and West Virginia have to offer.

“We competed against schools from California, Texas and Florida. To be on stage and showcase what we can do makes me proud. We proved we are right up there with the bigger schools from bigger states and should not be looked over.”

To compete at nationals, participants must place at or near the top in major tournaments, often more than once during the year, Mathieu said.

The team’s season is not over. Two more national competitions remain.

The National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament will take place over Memorial Day weekend, with WPHS students participating.

Two weeks later, they will compete in the National Speech and Debate Championship in Richmond, Virginia. It will mark the first time in 30 years WPHS students have taken the stage there, according to Mathieu.

WPHS first competed at the JW Patterson Tournament of Champions in 2024, noted coach Isabella Droginske. The team had a semifinalist that year and a finalist last year.

This year, WPHS earned two second-place finishes, a sixth-place finish and a finalist at the Kentucky tournament.

“Every tournament we go to, it shows Wheeling Park is keeping up on the national level and succeeding,” Droginske said. “Am I excited? Yes. But am I surprised? No. These kids are the hardest-working kids you’ll find.

“They were willing to put in blood, sweat and tears. This is fierce competition. But I’m not surprised they did well.”

She added students helped raise funds to attend the tournaments, including assisting with grant applications.

This year, the Stifel Foundation provided a $19,000 grant to cover expenses.

“Registration cost $200 (for each), then there was the cost of hotel and travel,” Droginske said. “This tournament was over three nights, and that was a hefty expense.

“Going to three national tournaments is a lot.”

Medovic, a senior, plans to attend West Virginia University in the fall and major in journalism.

“I feel amazing. It was such an opportunity to be at this tournament and get to go against the competition from around the nation,” he said. “And it felt good to see three from West Virginia in the finals.”

For the next national tournament on Memorial Day, Medovic said he will partner with a classmate to compete as a duo.

Contraguerro, also a senior, plans to go into medicine, though her choice of school “still is to be determined.”

“The tournament was a fantastic experience for me,” she said. “I went to the tournament as a sophomore two years ago. One of the juniors made it as a semifinalist and I was in awe of her. Now I’m a semifinalist.”