Forensics Team Enjoys Success at the National Level
The Truman Speech and Debate Team traveled to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, April 12-20 and won seven distinct awards.
The team brought home a first place individual events award and a fourth place debate award, as well as three individual speaking awards and two debate octafinalist awards.
This tournament marked the National Forensic Association’s 40th year of recognizing the top talent in the nation. Unlike other competitive forensic tournaments, the championship tournament requires students qualify to attend. Thus, students are competing against the best in the nation.
In Lincoln-Douglas Debate there were 85 individual competitors representing 22 schools from across the nation. Truman took fourth place overall, beating out such schools as Creighton University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Air Force Academy. Sweepstakes points are awarded every time a debater wins a round.
Truman had six competitors entered in debate. Sophomores Christian Johns and Elizabeth Hatting both advanced to octafinals — placing them each in the top 16 debaters at the tournament. Johns also achieved a fourth place debate speaker award — an award based not on how many rounds a competitor wins but on how well they speak. This is the highest speaker award any Truman debater has ever achieved.
Juniors Sarah Backhaus and Dylan Clark were very close to breaking into elimination rounds. Backhaus and Clark were also 12th and 13th place speakers, respectively.
In individual events, the team took home the National Champion title in the small schools division. Sweepstakes points are earned in individual events is by placing in the top half of each round.
Freshman Jessica Petrie received quarterfinalist awards in two of her four speaking events — Extemporaneous Speaking and Persuasive Speaking. This means that she was in the top 24 of 162 competitors and 155 competitors, respectively.
In order to win first place in the small school division, Truman had to beat 46 other schools. Schools are placed into the various divisions based upon the number of qualifying entries.
Even though the division includes those schools with the smallest number of entries, it is the largest division in the tournament. With only three speech competitors Truman beat such schools as Cornell University, the University of Michigan and West Texas A&M University.
Those interested in forensics can contact Kristi Scholten at kscholten@truman.edu.
The team brought home a first place individual events award and a fourth place debate award, as well as three individual speaking awards and two debate octafinalist awards.
This tournament marked the National Forensic Association’s 40th year of recognizing the top talent in the nation. Unlike other competitive forensic tournaments, the championship tournament requires students qualify to attend. Thus, students are competing against the best in the nation.
In Lincoln-Douglas Debate there were 85 individual competitors representing 22 schools from across the nation. Truman took fourth place overall, beating out such schools as Creighton University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Air Force Academy. Sweepstakes points are awarded every time a debater wins a round.
Truman had six competitors entered in debate. Sophomores Christian Johns and Elizabeth Hatting both advanced to octafinals — placing them each in the top 16 debaters at the tournament. Johns also achieved a fourth place debate speaker award — an award based not on how many rounds a competitor wins but on how well they speak. This is the highest speaker award any Truman debater has ever achieved.
Juniors Sarah Backhaus and Dylan Clark were very close to breaking into elimination rounds. Backhaus and Clark were also 12th and 13th place speakers, respectively.
In individual events, the team took home the National Champion title in the small schools division. Sweepstakes points are earned in individual events is by placing in the top half of each round.
Freshman Jessica Petrie received quarterfinalist awards in two of her four speaking events — Extemporaneous Speaking and Persuasive Speaking. This means that she was in the top 24 of 162 competitors and 155 competitors, respectively.
In order to win first place in the small school division, Truman had to beat 46 other schools. Schools are placed into the various divisions based upon the number of qualifying entries.
Even though the division includes those schools with the smallest number of entries, it is the largest division in the tournament. With only three speech competitors Truman beat such schools as Cornell University, the University of Michigan and West Texas A&M University.
Those interested in forensics can contact Kristi Scholten at kscholten@truman.edu.
