Lemont Students Fare Well at IHSA Speech Finals

The Speech team capped one of its strongest seasons yet with two students finishing in the top three in individual categories at the IHSA Speech State Finals on Saturday.

Senior Delia Ercoli, who was the first student in school history to qualify for state finals in two events, was the runner-up in Informative Speaking, finishing behind Oak Lawn's Andrew Green. Her entry, "Friendly Neighborhood Spider Goats" was also the sectional runner-up.

Ercoli was also one of 21 students who competed in the Oratorical Declamation category, in which students present a speech originally prepared by another person. Her entry, "Girls Are Funnier Than Boys," was the sectional runner-up.

Lemont sophomore Aubree Tally finished third at the IHSA Finals in Humorous Interpretation, a category in which students are asked to present humorous material from a printed, published source. Her entry, "Sealed for Freshness," also received third place at sectionals.

The Humorous Interpretation category was won by Andreas Tsironis of Wheaton Warrenville South. Erin C. Walsh of Downers Grove South was runner-up.

The only previous state qualifier for Lemont was Bryan Carver, who qualified for the IHSA Speech Finals in 2009 in the Humorous Interpretation category. 

Lemont has won four competitions this year, and has placed in the top three teams at 11 different competitions. Last month, the team repeated as the South Suburban Conference Blue Division champions, earing 12 top-five finishes across 14 categories.

Despite having a roster of only four students five years ago, the school currently boasts a strong coaching staff and more than 60 students with a broad range of talents and backgrounds.

"The development of this team has been truly remarkable, especially considering where we were just five years ago," head coach Dan Franke said.

For more on the Lemont High School speech team, .