College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

WKU Forensics took first in sweepstakes at the first Online Asynchronous Tournament Series (OATS) of the 2024-2025 season at which over 40 schools and 160 students participated. WKU placed ahead of Truman State University, George Mason University, University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire, and the University of Illinois-Chicago.

WKU students earned first in four events, including two tournament wins by Kirsten Eversmann who placed fifth in individual sweepstakes.

WKU also participated in the DeMougeot Debates hosted by the University of North Texas. The tournament did not award team sweepstakes, but WKU was the only school with multiple students in the Varsity elimination debates taking three of the Top 6 slots. Sophomore Nik Schintgen was named the tournament’s top speaker.

WKU also debated at the Owen L. Coon Debate hosted by Northwestern University and the JW Patterson Debates hosted by the University of Kentucky.  Following the JW Patterson Debates, WKU ranked 15th in the American Debate Association rankings, the highest policy debate ranking of programs competing on the National Forensics Association and NDT/CEDA circuits.

Results from OATS 1 are as follows:

• After Dinner Speaking: Kirsten Eversmann of Harrisburg, Illinois, 1st; Jonah Johnson of Apple Valley, Minnesota, 3rd; Rachael Akinbayo of Houston, Texas, 5th.
• Communication Analysis: Rachael Akinbayo, 1st.
• Dramatic Interpretation: Finn Larson of Moorehead, Minnesota, 1st; Sydney Rettig of Perrysburg, Ohio, 2nd; Cecilia Alali of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 3rd.
• Informative Speaking: Somtoo Nkurumeh of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 3rd.
• Program Oral Interpretation: Jay Roccaforte of Cheyenne, Wyoming, 3rd.
• Prose Interpretation: Kirsten Eversmann, 1st; Jade Ismail of Lafayette, Louisiana, 3rd.

Results from the University of North Texas DeMougeot Debates are as follows:

• Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Nik Schintgen of Lansing, Kansas, 2nd; Kole Ingram of Hindman, Kentucky, Top 6; JaKayla Brown of Kansas City, Kansas, Top 6.
• Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate Speaker Awards: Nik Schintgen, Top Speaker; JaKayla Brown, 5th.

Results from the University of Kentucky JW Patterson Debates are as follows: 

• Wildcat Division: Kole Ingram, 4th Speaker; Ameya Puranik of Mountain House, California, 6th; Kole Ingram and Ameya Puranik, Top 8. 

More: Check out the WKU Forensics Facebook page or follow @wkuforensics  and @DebateWku on X/Twitter.

Contact: Ganer Newman, (270) 745-6340           

-- WKU –

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.