Lily Doud Earns NSDA AAA Award

Lily Doud became the 16th Cotter student to earn the prestigious National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) Academic All-American (AAA) Award this past December.

The NSDA AAA Award is earned by meeting three rigorous criteria:

• 750 NSDA honor points (Superior Distinction) — Lily achieved this milestone midway through last season

• A minimum 3.7 GPA — Lily currently holds a 4.01 GPA

• At least five semesters of high school competition — completed at the end of December

Fewer than 2% of NSDA students nationwide earn the AAA Award each year. Lily is one of just two Cotter students to receive the honor this year, alongside Carter Knuesel.

Lily has competed across an impressive range of Speech and Debate events. In the fall season, she participated in Congressional Debate and Public Forum Debate. During the winter and spring seasons, she has competed in Storytelling, Original Oratory, Program of Oral Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Extemporaneous Speaking, Creative Expression, Duo Interpretation, and Impromptu Speaking. Through her dedication and versatility, Lily reached the Outstanding Distinction level (1,000 points) late last season and currently holds 1,395 career honor points. She also serves as one of three senior captains for the Cotter Speech Team.

Lily’s goal this season is to earn the Premier Distinction level (1,500 honor points), joining Alison French ’22 and Speech and Debate Coach River Repinski ’24 as the only Cotter Ramblers to reach that milestone. River Repinski currently holds the school record with 2,105 honor points. Looking ahead to next season, Lily’s goal is to surpass Coach Repinski’s total.