2023-24 Top Individual Performers

Believe it or not, the fall invitational season has come to a close. Although we are still ahead of some of the season's most competitive tournaments--Soda City, GAMTI, CUBAIT--I have compiled a list of the top individual performers in the circuit thus far. A top performer is a competitor who has at least 2 individual awards from (a) tournament(s) where at least 25% of the field was made up of teams that competed at NCT in 2023. The invitationals counted are:

Boston Tea Party, Harvard (80%)
Happy Valley, Penn State (67%)
Mock at the Rock, Northwestern (56%)
Yale Invitational, Yale (56%)
Mumbo Jumbo, Tufts (50%)
Tobacco Road, Duke (46%)
Classic City, UGA (38%)
Peach Bowl, Emory (36%)
Arch Invitational, WashU (32%)

I understand 25% is a very high number, so if you think it should be lowered to 20% (or lower), I would be open to it. If so, Charm City and Black Squirrel would be included. If you find a mistake, please let me know! I am just one person, and the system I used to count might have missed someone along the way.

Attorneys
Anu Pillai, Texas (Yale 17P; MATR 17P)
Maya Iyer, Georgia Tech (Peach 18P; ToRo 18P)
Saloman Campos-Rice, South Carolina (UGA 19D; ToRo 17D)
Sanjeev Viswan, Georgia Tech (UGA 17P, 17D)
Sydney Jessup, Boston (Mumbo 20D; BTP 19D)

Witnesses
Audrey Vanderslice, Harvard (Mumbo 20P; BTP 20P, 16P)*
Adelaide Young-Brust, Indiana (HVI 20P, 18D)
Kayla Barron, South Carolina (UGA 18D; ToRo 16P)
Naomi Uchida, South Carolina (Peach 17P, 17D)
Thomas Collison, Missouri State (Arch 19P, 19D)
Yousef Hanna, Penn State (HVI 17D; Mumbo 20D)

Double Threats
Lyla Zedell, Georgia Tech (Peach 20D atty, 16P wit; ToRo 20D atty, 19P wit)
Aiza Kidwai, Emory (UGA 17D atty, 17P wit; ToRo 19D atty)
Brendan Burke, Illinois (Arch 17D atty; MATR 18D atty, 16P wit)
Calvin Huh, Patrick Henry (ToRo 17D atty, 16P wit)
Charles Stock, Notre Dame (MATR 18P atty, 18D wit)
Emma Troy, Illinois (Arch 19P atty, 19D wit)
Everett Parker-Noblitt, Yale (Mumbo 20D wit; BTP 18P atty)
Gavin Cohen, WashU (Arch 20P atty; Mumbo 16P wit)
Jacob Winter, Harvard (Mumbo 17P atty, 18D wit)
Lucy Brock, Michigan (BTP 18P atty, 17P wit)*
Nasier Muldrow, UCLA (BTP 17D atty, 19D wit)*
Rand Meyer, Northwestern (Arch 19D wit; ToRo 17P atty)
Roni Kane, Michigan (MATR 18D atty, 17P wit)
William Akis, Michigan (HVI 19P atty; BTP 16P wit)

*Not entirely sure if there was an error in the sides for the awards at Boston Tea Party, but the awards stand, nevertheless.

Schools with Multiple Appearances
Georgia Tech (3)
Michigan (3)
South Carolina (3)
Harvard (2)
Illinois (2)

November/December Update

Hello everyone! The fall season has officially come to a close, and we have quite a few updates to the list of AMTA’s top individual performers. Notably, we have some new tournaments (and a new tab summary from October…). Again, let me know if you notice any new mistakes. Get ready for GCF, Wreck, Beach Party, AtypiCal, Hilltop, and many more fantastic invitationals! Happy holidays <3

Congratulations to everyone who competed in the fall, and a special shout-out to Adelaide Young-Brust, Aiza Kidwai, Audrey Vanderslice, Gavin Cohen, Lucy Brock, and Lyla Zedell for having the most competitive individual awards (4 each!).

GAMTI, Virginia (92%)
CUBAIT, Columbia (64%)
Soda City, South Carolina (44%)
Spartan Throwdown, Case Western (35%)
Badger the Witness, Wisconsin (31%)
Cornshucker Challenge, Iowa (31%)

Updates:
Adelaide Young-Brust, Indiana (Badger 28P wit; GAMTI 28D wit)
Aiza Kidwai, Emory (Soda 17P atty)
Audrey Vanderslice, Harvard (GAMTI 29P atty) – now Double Threat
Gavin Cohen, WashU (Badger 24P atty; GAMTI 27P atty)
Kayla Barron, South Carolina (CUBAIT 18P wit)
Lucy Brock, Michigan (GAMTI 32.5P atty, 28D wit)
Roni Kane, Michigan (CUBAIT 18D atty)

New:
Attorneys
Aashka Gupta, Case Western (Spartan 17P; Badger 28P, 24D)
Alyssa Roush, Iowa (Arch 18P; Badger 28P; Cornshucker 18P)
Aaron Mathew, Wisconsin (Spartan 18P; Badger 27D)
Abby Davis, Hillsdale (HVI 20P; Soda 16P)
Fiona Liu, Emory (UGA 17P; CUBAIT 19P)
Isabelle Snyder, Penn State (ToRo 19P; CUBAIT 19P)
Karen Sun, Virginia (Soda 18D, 17P)
Jerehmy Cesar, Georgia Tech (UGA 18P; Soda 16P)
Laniya Davidson, Maryland (CUBAIT 19D, 18P)
Margaret Veglahn, Tufts (HVI 19D; GAMTI 29P)

Witnesses
Amaya Salter, Emory (Peach 16P; Soda 18D)
Angela Ryan, Ohio State (MATR 16D; Spartan 20P)
Ansley Skipper, Virginia (Soda 18P; GAMTI 32D)
Jasmine Ortega, Iowa (Badger 27P; Cornshucker 17D)
Justin LaPorta, UTC (ToRo 16P; Soda 19D)
Konrad Verbaarschott, Hillsdale (Soda 18P, 17D)
Rory Behm, Minnesota (Badger 24P; CUBAIT 20P)
Zachary Zinman, Tufts (Mumbo 17D; CUBAIT 17P)

Double Threats
Elijah Weisman, WashU (Yale 18P wit; Badger 30D atty, 25P atty)
Faith Hollister, Wheaton (Arch 18D atty; Cornshucker 17P atty, 16D wit)
Garrett Travers, Ohio State (MATR 19P atty; Spartan 19D atty, 16D wit)
Justin Lee, Hillsdale (HVI 16D wit; Badger 29P atty, 26D wit)
Amarah Friedman, Macalester (Badger 27P atty; Cornshucker 17P wit)
Ana Gaston, Indiana (Badger 24P atty; GAMTI 29D wit)
Anthony Palacios, UChicago (MATR 16P wit; CUBAIT 17P atty)
Caleb Sampson, Hillsdale (BTP 16P wit; Spartan 17P atty)
Drew Polito, Ohio State (Spartan 20D atty, 18P wit)
Gordy Gwilt, Michigan (HVI 18D atty; GAMTI 28.5P wit)
Jonathan Hubbard, Ohio State (Spartan 20P atty, 17D wit)
Mia Powell, WashU (MATR 17P atty; Badger 23D wit)
Natalie LeBlanc, Hillsdale (HVI 20D atty; Badger 23P wit)
Rachel Winkler, Iowa (Badger 30P atty, 23D wit)
Sarah Rosen, WashU (Yale 18D atty; GAMTI 30.5D wit)
Stephen DeCoste, Maryland (Mumbo 20P atty; CUBAIT 20D wit)

Schools with Multiple Appearances
Hillsdale (5)
Georgia Tech (4)
Michigan (4)
Ohio State (4)
WashU (4)
Emory (3)
Iowa (3)
South Carolina (3)
Harvard (2)
Illinois (2)
Indiana (2)
Maryland (2)
Tufts (2)
Virginia (2)

Reflection: Teams in the Midwest are dominating this list. I’m not shocked, given that a lot of teams from that region made appearances at 2023 Nats. The tournaments these teams are going to have higher Nats returner rates than we might have expected in other years. The schools we see multiple appearances from in the Northeast and South are mostly familiar faces—Georgia Tech, Emory, South Carolina, Harvard, Tufts, and Virginia. However, there seems to be some underrepresentation in the West, which is both surprising, given the high caliber of competition among California programs, but likewise expected, considering the meatgrinder that was Santa Monica last year.

P.S. I remember getting a DM from someone saying they awarded at UGA and ToRo. For some reason, the message disappeared. Can that person DM me gain with their name, school, and ranks?

Since this is usually a post we compile, we thought we would put up a quick addendum here.

All Awards Sheet:
First, as usual we have compiled a spreadsheet of all award winners from all tournaments with currently available tab summaries. That can be found at the link below:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1I1w3BRoS49UjOw9haeGbi0wv6yRmnPmTJLYh6a8KFMg/edit?usp=sharing

Honorable Mentions:
We have been planning this one since last year. We have heard the complaints about people getting discounted because their programs just don’t go to the very top tournaments, so they have no chance to win the top awards. We know this is a particular issue out on the West Coast. We want to honor a few individuals who didn’t quite make the usual list. These individuals won 4 or more awards in the fall and while they might not have been at the most difficult tournaments, we thought these individuals deserved an honorable mention for their high award count.

Gabe Cerda, Northwood, Witness (Red Cedar 20P; Grand Ole 19D; Yellowjacket 20P; Illini 17D)
Evelyn Chew, Texas A&M, Witness (Rice Bowl 18P, 18D; H-Town 19D; Green & Gold 20D)
Amelia Christensen, Portland, Double Threat (Frohnmayer 20P atty; Thornhill 18P atty; Wlodarcyk 19D wit, ?P atty)*
Hannah Croviet, Southern California, Double Threat (Sundown 17P wit, 16D atty; Ole Open 20P wit, 17D atty)
Hudson Grove, Wheaton, Attorney (Illini 20D; Calkins 20D; Back to Normal 18D; Cornshucker 18D)
Michael Guarnieri, Seton Hall, Witness (Red Devil 18P; Scarlet Knight 20P, 18D; Pirate 18P)
Anthony Hailey, Baylor, Attorney (Mock Frogs 20P, 15D; Green & Gold 19D, 17P)
Taylor Ireland, UC San Diego, Double Threat (Anteater 10D atty, 9P wit; Anteater 18P wit, 18D atty)
William Johnston, Texas A&M, Attorney (H-Town 20P; Rice Bowl 18D; Green & Gold 17D; Kangaroo 18D, 17P)
Josiah Jones, UC Irvine, Double Threat (Anteater 10P atty, 10D wit; Mocktopia 19D atty; Wlodarcyk 16P wit, ?D atty)*
Lisa Lu, Stanford, Attorney (SUMTI 20P; AAMTI 18P; Cowtown 17P, 17D)
RJ Schoen, Michigan State, Double Threat (Illini 18P wit; Golden Dome 16P wit; Pirate 19D atty, 17P atty)
Karter Stanton, Reed, Attorney (Frohnmayer 18P; Thornhill 15D; Emerald City 20P; 18D)
Parker White, Eastern Kentucky, Attorney (Back to Normal 20P; Indy Mock Hundred 20D 19P; Spartan 20P)


*Wlodarcyk didn’t give rank numbers for half of their attorney awards

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this list has NOT been updated with awards from Swamp or AtypiCal. The tab summaries are not on AMTA's website yet, but once they are I will update the list ASAP. I just wanted to get this out now.

Hello again. Just like that, invitational season is finished, as Regionals are mere hours away from beginning. Here are the updates from January tournaments. Congrats to all top performers! Let me know if I missed anyone or made any mistakes  

Great Chicago Fire, UChicago (95%)
Hilltop Invitational, Georgetown (50%)
Ramblin’ Wreck, Georgia Tech (46%)
Battle in the Bayou, Tulane (42%)
Beach Party, UC Irvine (42%)
Hoosier Hoedown (35%)
UCLASSIC, UCLA (26%)

Updates:  
Laniya Davidson, Maryland (Hilltop 18P atty, 18D atty)
Youssef Hanna, Penn State (Hilltop 18P wit, 17D wit)
Aashka Gupta, Case Western (Hoosier 20P atty)
Aiza Kidwai, Emory (Wreck 19D atty)
Angela Ryan, Ohio State (Hilltop 17D wit)
Audrey Vanderslice, Harvard (GCF 29P atty)
Elijah Wiesman, WashU (GCF 24D atty)
Everett Parker-Noblitt, Yale (GCF 22D atty)
Garret Travers, Ohio State (Hilltop 17D atty)
Justin Lee, Hillsdale (GCF 22D wit)
Lucy Brock, Michigan (GCF 27D wit)
Lyla Zedell, Georgia Tech (Wreck 18D atty)
Maya Iyer, Georgia Tech (Wreck 20P atty)
Nasier Muldrow, UCLA (GCF 23D atty)
Rand Meyer, Northwestern (Beach 19P wit)
Rory Behm, Minnesota (Hilltop 16P wit)
Sanjeev Viswan, Georgia Tech (Wreck 18P wit) – now Double Threat.
Zachary Zinman, Tufts (Hilltop 16P wit)

New:
Attorneys
Josiah Jones, UC Irvine (Beach 17.5D; UCLA 18D; GCF 24P, 22D)
Annabelle Claypoole, Virginia (Soda 20D; Wreck 18D)
Bella Salathe, Haverford (Yale 18D; Bayou 25D)
Bryan Walker, Georgia (Peach 20D; GCF 27P)
Daniel Molica, Miami (Spartan 17P; Hoosier 17P)
Gurvin Anand, Georgia Tech (Soda 17D; Wreck 17D)
Guyberson Pierre, Emory (CUBAIT 19D, GCF 27D)
Katie Volpert, Penn (Hilltop 19D, 17P)
Naudia Terry, Boston (Mumbo 19P; GCF 26P)
Madison Rossillo, Indiana (HVI 20D; GCF 25D)
Marin Ellington, Loyola (Cornshucker 20P; Hoosier 17P)
Nicholas Wesley, Fordham LC (GAMTI 29D; Bayou 24D)
Parker White, EKU (HVI 20P; Hoosier 18D)
Patrick McGlynn, Penn State (ToRo 17D; Hilltop 17D)
Ria Debnath, UCLA (GAMTI 29D; GCF 23P)
Stephen Scott, UTC (ToRo 17D; Bayou 25D)

Witnesses
Alexi Melki, UCLA (Beach 17P, 16D)
Ben Hempker, Northwestern (Yale 19D; Spartan 17P)*
Emily Callahan, Northwestern (Spartan 16D; GCF 24P)*
Juliana Mothersbaugh, UChicago (GAMTI 27P; UCLA 17P)
Phillip Ackerman, Baylor (Bayou 25P, 25D)

Double Threats
Abygale Kim, UCLA (UGA 16P wit; Beach 17.5D atty)
Christopher Ying, UC Berkeley (GAMTI 29D atty; GCF 23P wit)
Daniel Braun, Alabama (Soda 16P wit; Wreck 20D atty)
James Elliott, PHC (Hilltop 18P atty, 17D wit)
Kole Alfonso, UCLA (UCLASSIC 19D atty; BTP 19P wit)
Kyle Letterer, Texas (Peach 17D wit; Wreck 19D atty)
Rebecca Weintraub, Vanderbilt (Hoosier 20P atty, 17D wit)  

Schools with Multiple Appearances
Georgia Tech (5)
Hillsdale (5)
UCLA (5)
Emory (4)
Michigan (4)
Ohio State (4)
WashU (4)
Indiana (3)
Iowa (3)
Northwestern (3)
Penn State (3)
South Carolina (3)
Virginia (3)
Boston (2)
Harvard (2)
Illinois (2)
Maryland (2)
PHC (2)
Texas (2)
Tufts (2)
UChicago (2)
UTC (2)

Extra congrats to Aiza Kidwai, Audrey Vanderslice, Lucy Brock, and Lyla Zedell for maintaining their leads!
* Apologies to Ben Hempker and Emily Callahan from Northwestern, whom I previously missed due to an error in Excel. Congratulations on the awards!