Forensics Team Competes at Virtual Tournaments
Students from Truman’s debate team attended virtual tournaments at Illinois State University, Western Kentucky University and Washburn University and earned new qualifications to nationals.
In late September, members of the speech team participated in Illinois State University’s third annual online asynchronous pop-up individual events tournament. Senior Megan Ford competed in prose interpretation and received fourth place. Sophomores Briggs Maynor and Alexis Peterson competed as well. Maynor received second place in dramatic interpretation. Peterson received third place in impromptu speaking, qualifying for the National Forensic Association at the end of the year. Freshman Jesse Fields also competed in impromptu at this tournament. The team took home first place in individual event sweepstakes.
In early October, freshmen Payten Luaders and Jesse Fields finished with positive records at Washburn. Lauders was second place runner-up and finished as sixth place speaker. Fields finished as a quarterfinalist and eighth place speaker.
At Western Kentucky, the debate team had much success. Lauders finished as a semifinalist and first place speaker in the junior varsity division, and Fields finished as second place runner-up. Seniors Elijah Baum and Alicia Stout advanced to elimination brackets in the open division, earning their qualifications to NFA. Baum was a quarterfinalist. Stout was a semifinalist and finished as eighth place speaker. Senior Eli Bartz and sophomore Aiden Bressawitz also attended.
Any alumni interested in judging, or students interested in joining the Forensics Union, should contact Ben Davis, director of forensics, at bdavis@truman.edu.
