College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

The WKU Forensics Team kicked off its competitive season by hosting the WKU/Alumni Fall Forensic Tournament on WKU’s campus the weekend of Sept. 21-23.

Combining four tournaments into a single weekend, the event offered competition in debate and individual events over three days, hosting 15 schools from Texas to Pennsylvania, including the University of Alabama, Bradley University, George Mason University, Illinois State University, Pennsylvania State University, Ohio University and Truman State University. WKU students competed in the tournament, but as host the team was not eligible for team sweepstakes awards.

WKU Director of Forensics Ganer Newman said the tournament is intended to bring debate and public speaking together.

“WKU is equally dedicated to both debate and public speaking, so we provide a tournament which acts as a model for a more comprehensive forensic education,” he said. “Considering that this is the first tournament of the school year, most teams find that getting ready to compete this early is a prohibitive challenge. But some of our biggest rivals came this year. I am extremely proud of all of the work our students and staff put into making our season opener a success. We especially want to thank the 42 instructors and graduate students who volunteered as judges. This tournament was truly a campus community effort.”

Along with hosting, WKU team members also competed. “Our students won 10 event championships, including an individual sweepstakes championship,” Newman said. “We are extremely proud of all our team members.”

Many of the finalists in the WKU tournament each year become national finalists by the end of the year. Newman described the competition that WKU was able to attract as “some of the best in the nation.”

In two weeks, the Hilltoppers will travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to compete at the University of Alabama.

Results from the WKU/Alumni Fall Forensic Tournament are as follows:

• Andrea Ambam, a senior from Peculiar, Missouri, tournament champion in quadrathon, tournament champion in poetry interpretation, second in after-dinner speaking, second in programmed oral interpretation and second in prose interpretation at the WKU tournament.
• Alex Rivera, a junior from Newton, Kansas, tournament champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate, top debate speaker, second in quadrathon and sixth in impromptu speaking at the Alumni tournament.
• Lane Hedrick, a senior from Morehead, tournament champion in extemporaneous speaking, second in persuasive speaking and third in impromptu speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Matt Wisenden, a senior from Moorhead, Minnesota, tournament champion in informative speaking, second in duo interpretation (with Reese Johnson) and fifth in dramatic interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Casey Child, a senior from Taylor Mill, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Tayland Ratliff), third in dramatic interpretation and third in poetry interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Faith LoPiccolo, a junior from Lexington, tournament champion in after-dinner speaking and third in programmed oral interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Brian Anderson, a senior from Hodgenville, tournament champion in impromptu speaking, fifth in extemporaneous speaking, fifth debate speaker and octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the Alumni tournament.
• Emma Warnecke, a sophomore from West Bloomfield, Michigan, tournament champion in prose interpretation and fifth in duo interpretation (with Derek Collins) at the WKU tournament.
• Tayland Ratliff, a sophomore from Youngsville, Louisiana, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Casey Child) and fifth in poetry interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Ryan Gosling, a sophomore from West Palm Beach, Florida, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Rickey Williams) at the WKU tournament.
• Rickey Williams, a sophomore from Minneapolis, Minnesota, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Ryan Gosling) at the WKU tournament.
• Sal Tinajero Jr., a junior from Santa Ana, California, second in after-dinner speaking and seventh in programmed oral interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Corey Newsome, a sophomore from Morehead, second in communication analysis at the Alumni tournament.
• Reese Johnson, a freshman from Burnsville, Minnesota, second in duo interpretation (with Matt Wisenden) at the Alumni tournament.
• Bradley Wascher, a junior from Montgomery, Alabama, third in persuasive speaking, fourth in impromptu speaking and sixth in extemporaneous speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Zakkiyah Sanders, a sophomore from Apple Valley, Minnesota, third in poetry interpretation at the WKU tournament.
• Ashlyn Jones, a sophomore from Lafayette, Louisiana, semifinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the Alumni tournament.
• Derek Collins, a sophomore from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, fourth in prose interpretation and fifth in duo interpretation (with Emma Warnecke) at the WKU tournament.
• Kelly Lingen, a freshman from Lakeville, Minnesota, fourth in programmed oral interpretation and sixth in poetry interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Natalie Hedberg, a senior from Chaska, Minnesota, fourth in informative speaking and seventh in extemporaneous speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Anthony Survance, a junior from Louisville, fifth in impromptu speaking and quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the Alumni tournament.
• Emmanuel Collins, a freshman from Elk River, Minnesota, sixth in after-dinner speaking at the Alumni tournament.
• Zach Bernat, a sophomore from Canfield, Ohio, seventh in after-dinner speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Symone Whalin, a sophomore from Sonora, eighth in after-dinner speaking at the Alumni tournament.
• Madelynn Einhorn, a freshman from Oakwood, Ohio, octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the Alumni tournament.
• Ben Hanson, a freshman from Louisville, octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the Alumni tournament.
• Isaac Keller, a sophomore from Kansas City, Missouri, octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the Alumni tournament.

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

Contact: Ganer Newman, (270) 745-6340