Founder
Vikrant Maan
Brandeis University
Founded Break Debate2× TOC qualifierBlake finalist
Our People
Meet the coaches behind Break.
Every Break coach is a TOC qualifier or NDT competitor: hand-selected, vetted by our leadership, and matched to students individually based on argument style and competitive arc.
01 · Officers
The masthead.
The two people responsible for what Break is and where it’s going.
Vice President
Sophia Dal Pra
University of West Georgia
2024 NDT D6 Debater of the Year3× NDT qualifier2025 NDT octafinalist
02 · Research
The research desk.
The six coaches who run Break’s argument files, topic prep, and the substance behind every drill.
Research Lead
Ariel Gabay
University of California, Berkeley
2× NDT qualifier2026 NDT double-octafinalistTOC qualifier
Research Lead
Cyrus Esmailzadeh
University of Michigan
2× NDT qualifier2026 NDT double-octafinalistTOC quarterfinalist
Research Lead
Jordan Keller
Binghamton University
3× NDT qualifier2025 NDT octafinalist2× CEDA quarterfinalist
Research Lead
Archan Sen
UC Berkeley
TOC semifinalist3rd at NSDA NationalsBlake & Michigan champion
Research Lead
Riley Reichel
UC Berkeley
NDT quarterfinalistCoached LD TOC finalists
Research Lead
Emilio Menotti
UC Berkeley
3× NDT qualifier2026 NDT quarterfinalistCoached LD TOC semifinalist
03 · Coaches
The coaching staff.
Nineteen coaches across LD and policy. Every one of them qualified to the TOC, qualified to the NDT, or both.
Coach
Bryce Sheffield
Illinois College of Law
2 years coaching at Break50+ student TOC bidsCoached TOC champion
Coach
Michael Ross
Dartmouth College
2025 NDCA Baker Cup champion#1 Coaches' Poll24 career bids
Coach
Kavneer Majhail
Dartmouth College
#1 national ELO and Coaches' Poll18 career TOC bids2025 TOC top seed
Coach
Pranav Balakrishnan
Cornell University
Glenbrooks championTOC semifinalist#2 national Coaches' Poll
Coach
Ankit Bhasi
University of Texas at Austin
J.W. Patterson Fellow13 career TOC bids#4 national Coaches' PollPace Round Robin championCalifornia Round Robin champion
Coach
Jerry Chen
University of Michigan
TOC finalist15 career bids1st speaker Glenbrooks
Coach
Kailey Cabrera
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
3× TOC qualifier9 career bidsJ.W. Patterson Fellow
Coach
Ethan Andrew
University of Texas at Austin
2× TOC semifinalist2025 TOC 2nd speaker
Coach
Sanjith Geevarghese
Emory University
3× TOC qualifier5th seed at TOCNDCA semifinalist
Coach
Kush Vijapure
Texas A&M University
Top Speaker TFA StateTop Speaker HarvardTop Speaker Blake5 career bids
Coach
Albert Cai
Cornell University
3× TOC qualifier#1 Illinois#8 national (NSD)
Coach
Rowan MacLean
University of Texas at Austin
5 TOC bidsUH finalistFlorida Blue Key, Strake, Delores Taylor semifinalist
Coach
Ezra Segal
University of Pennsylvania
2× TOC qualifierHarvard championCleared at TOC5 career bids
Coach
Elaine Yates
Northwestern University
TOC qualifierChurchill Classic championStrake Jesuit semifinalistUniversity of Houston semifinalist
Coach
David Wise
Texas A&M University
UIL State ChampionTOC qualifierNSDA Nationals qualifier
Coach
Ava Moon
University of Michigan
2× TOC qualifier5 career bids8 Round Robin invitationsBlake semifinalist
Coach
Wallace Arney
Cornell University
J.W. Patterson Fellow#11 national Coaches' PollBarkley Forum semifinalistBerkeley semifinalist
Coach
Athena Chan
Northwestern University
J.W. Patterson Fellow9 career bidsCleared at TOCNDCA semifinalistBerkeley semifinalist
Coach
Eric Gong
New York University
TOC qualifier3× TFA qualifierIPPF championLonghorn quarterfinalist