Forensics Takes Home Three National Championship Titles
The Truman Forensics Union returned from spring break ready to take on the national championship season. March 18-22, the team competed at the Pi Kappa Delta (PKD) National Convention and Tournament at Missouri State University. Team members captured three national championships and three national runner-up titles across multiple speech and debate categories.
PKD alternates between traditional tournament years and convention years. During a convention year, Individual Events competitors compete in three preliminary rounds, with the highest seed at the end of those rounds named the National Champion and “Top Superior” performance. PKD also awards the top 10% of performers a “Superior” rank and the top 30% of performers an “Excellent” designation. In public address, Lauren Weiss, second-year biology major, brought home the national title in Persuasive Speaking. Briggs Maynor, fourth-year chemistry major, and Jessie Philips, fourth-year political science major, secured the national championship in Duo Interpretation. Maynor also brought home the national title in Poetry Interpretation, with Philips finishing in fourth place. Philips also received a Superior award and a 10th place finish in Prose Interpretation and an Excellence award in Program Oral Interpretation.
The accolades continued with Maynor finishing in sixth place in After Dinner Speaking. Maynor was joined by Philips, Weiss and Cooper Spacil, second-year social issue advocacy major, in receiving Excellent rankings in the event. Spacil also received Excellent honors in Communication Analysis and Impromptu Speaking. In Impromptu, Spacil was joined by Weiss and Jack Unsell, first-year political science and environmental science major, in receiving Excellent awards. Unsell received an Excellent award in Extemporaneous Speaking along with Ashton Mullen, third-year Political Science student. Emery McEvoy, second-year accounting major, finished fourth.
In Informative Speaking, McEvoy earned fourth place, followed closely by Mullen, who took sixth. PKD also offers Spanish language events, including Spanish Platform Speaking. Emmett Beeson, first-year business administration student, finished second in the event – a major accomplishment for a non-native Spanish speaker.
Truman excelled in debate events as well, with Unsell and Nevaeh Carter, first-year communication disorders major, being national runners-up in both Junior Varsity Parliamentary Debate and Public Forum Debate divisions. McEvoy and Aiden Breesawitz, fourth-year communication major, were Open Division semifinalists in Parliamentary Debate. Breesawitz was the second place individual speaker in the event, as well as fourth place speaker in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, while Carter was the 10th place speaker in the Junior Varsity division of Parliamentary Debate.
In Public Forum Debate, Beeson and Spacil reached the semifinals. The team of Sawyer Partney, second-year economics and political science major, and Eric Rotert, second-year criminal justice major, were quarterfinalists. In awards for individual Public Forum Debate speakers, Spacil was second, Rotert was fifth and Unsell was seventh.
PKD also recognizes outstanding graduating seniors. Briggs Maynor was selected as part of the All-American team. This honor is given based on a rigorous application process that highlights the student’s accomplishments in leadership, academics and service to their community.
Finally, in sweepstakes, which combines the performances of all competitors on a team, Truman placed fourth in the nation in debate, eighth in individual events and eighth overall.
“This is a fantastic start to the Nationals season. This team is demonstrating the best of forensics, and I cannot wait to see what they do next,” says Ben Davis, director of forensics.
Truman Forensics is now preparing for their last two competitions. The team will compete online at the Asynchronous Speech Championships, as well as in Nashville, Tennessee, for the National Forensics Association tournament in April.
For more information, follow @trumanforensicunion on Instagram and visit forensics.truman.edu.
PKD alternates between traditional tournament years and convention years. During a convention year, Individual Events competitors compete in three preliminary rounds, with the highest seed at the end of those rounds named the National Champion and “Top Superior” performance. PKD also awards the top 10% of performers a “Superior” rank and the top 30% of performers an “Excellent” designation. In public address, Lauren Weiss, second-year biology major, brought home the national title in Persuasive Speaking. Briggs Maynor, fourth-year chemistry major, and Jessie Philips, fourth-year political science major, secured the national championship in Duo Interpretation. Maynor also brought home the national title in Poetry Interpretation, with Philips finishing in fourth place. Philips also received a Superior award and a 10th place finish in Prose Interpretation and an Excellence award in Program Oral Interpretation.
The accolades continued with Maynor finishing in sixth place in After Dinner Speaking. Maynor was joined by Philips, Weiss and Cooper Spacil, second-year social issue advocacy major, in receiving Excellent rankings in the event. Spacil also received Excellent honors in Communication Analysis and Impromptu Speaking. In Impromptu, Spacil was joined by Weiss and Jack Unsell, first-year political science and environmental science major, in receiving Excellent awards. Unsell received an Excellent award in Extemporaneous Speaking along with Ashton Mullen, third-year Political Science student. Emery McEvoy, second-year accounting major, finished fourth.
In Informative Speaking, McEvoy earned fourth place, followed closely by Mullen, who took sixth. PKD also offers Spanish language events, including Spanish Platform Speaking. Emmett Beeson, first-year business administration student, finished second in the event – a major accomplishment for a non-native Spanish speaker.
Truman excelled in debate events as well, with Unsell and Nevaeh Carter, first-year communication disorders major, being national runners-up in both Junior Varsity Parliamentary Debate and Public Forum Debate divisions. McEvoy and Aiden Breesawitz, fourth-year communication major, were Open Division semifinalists in Parliamentary Debate. Breesawitz was the second place individual speaker in the event, as well as fourth place speaker in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, while Carter was the 10th place speaker in the Junior Varsity division of Parliamentary Debate.
In Public Forum Debate, Beeson and Spacil reached the semifinals. The team of Sawyer Partney, second-year economics and political science major, and Eric Rotert, second-year criminal justice major, were quarterfinalists. In awards for individual Public Forum Debate speakers, Spacil was second, Rotert was fifth and Unsell was seventh.
PKD also recognizes outstanding graduating seniors. Briggs Maynor was selected as part of the All-American team. This honor is given based on a rigorous application process that highlights the student’s accomplishments in leadership, academics and service to their community.
Finally, in sweepstakes, which combines the performances of all competitors on a team, Truman placed fourth in the nation in debate, eighth in individual events and eighth overall.
“This is a fantastic start to the Nationals season. This team is demonstrating the best of forensics, and I cannot wait to see what they do next,” says Ben Davis, director of forensics.
Truman Forensics is now preparing for their last two competitions. The team will compete online at the Asynchronous Speech Championships, as well as in Nashville, Tennessee, for the National Forensics Association tournament in April.
For more information, follow @trumanforensicunion on Instagram and visit forensics.truman.edu.
