WKU News

The WKU Forensics Team won the first Asynchronous Speech Championship. Team members include (back row, from left) Dakota Perry, Collin Tuerk, Caitlyn Woitena, Danielle Williams, Reese Johnson, Jaleon Brown, Christian Butterfield, Director of Debate Chadwick Meadows; (middle row, from left) Director of Forensics Ganer Newman, Jonah Johnson, Shainna Ralston, Antonina Clementi, Rachael Akinbayo; (front row from left) Rashon Leday, Samantha Sallee, Paige Allbright, Kellin Robinson, Tani Washington, Joseph Eberle.

The WKU Forensics Team won the sweepstakes championship at the first Asynchronous Speech Championship hosted virtually by Southwest Minnesota State University on March 28.

The Asynchronous Speech Championship (ASC) is the first to utilize video submissions rather than live performances to award a national championship.  

WKU also took eight of the top 10 in Individual Sweepstakes, an award which acknowledges the points students accumulate across all their events. Senior Reese Johnson of Burnsville, Minnesota, was awarded the individual sweepstakes championship.

WKU placed ahead of the University of Alabama, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Arizona State University and the University of Florida among others.

Director of Forensics Ganer Newman said: “This championship is a reflection of our students’ profound ability to adapt their public speaking gifts to new communication contexts and meet the demands of our changing world. They worked diligently with their coaches all season to develop powerful and inspiring messages, and challenged themselves to produce dynamic videos in order to engage a national audience. It’s awesome to see their efforts pay off in such an exceptional way at the Asynchronous Speech Championship!”

The team will now prepare for its final competition, the National Forensics Association National Championship hosted by Illinois State University.

Results from the Asynchronous Speech Championship are as follows:

After Dinner Speaking

• Quarterfinalists: Reese Johnson; Danielle Williams of Goodlettsville, Tennessee; Mauricio Patino of Stockton, California; Christian Butterfield of Bowling Green, Kentucky
• Semifinalists: Tanya Prabhakar of Danville, California
• Finalists: Racheal Akinbayo of Houston, Texas, National Champion; Dakota Perry of Morehead, Kentucky, 4th.

Communication Analysis

• Semifinalists: Samantha Sallee of Danville, Kentucky.
• Finalists: Tani Washington of Henrico, Virginia, National Champion; Caitlyn Woitena of Houston, Texas, 2nd; Racheal Akinbayo, 3rd.

Dramatic Interpretation

• Quarterfinalists: Collin Tuerk of Morehead, Kentucky; Samantha Sallee; Kelly Lingen of Lakeville, Minnesota
• Semifinalists: Reese Johnson; Shainna Ralston of Eldorado, Illinois
• Finalists: Caitlyn Woitena, National Champion; Mauricio Patino, 2nd; Reggie Jefferson of Houston, Texas, 3rd; Paige Allbright of Youngsville, Louisiana, 5th.

Duo Interpretation

• Semifinalists: Caitlyn Woitena and Paige Allbright
• Finalists: Jonah Johnson of Burnsville, Minnesota, and Reese Johnson, National Champion; Jonah Johnson and Paige Allbright, 2nd; Collin Tuerk and Noah Gordon of Pittsburg, California, 3rd; Kelly Lingen and Reese Johnson, 4th; Rashon Leday of Lafayette, Louisiana, and Reggie Jefferson, 5ht; Danielle Williams and Jaleon Brown of Raytown, Missouri, 6th.

Extemporaneous Speaking

• Quarterfinalists: Tess Welch of Houston, Texas; Antonina Clementi of Lafayette, Louisiana.
• Semifinalists: Tani Washington; Christian Butterfield; Madelynn Einhorn of Oakwood, Ohio
• Finalists: Miles Morton of Sherman Oaks, California, 4th.

Impromptu Speaking

• Quarterfinalists: Collin Tuerk
• Semifinalists: Andre Swai of Springfield, Missouri; Joey Eberle of Maple Grove, Minnesota; Reggie Jefferson
• Finalists: Christian Butterfield, National Champion; Miles Morton, 3rd; Antonina Clementi, 5th; Tani Washington, 6th.

Informative Speaking

• Quarterfinalists: Paige Allbright; Shainna Ralston; Joey Eberle; Samantha Sallee
• Finalists: Tani Washington, National Champion; Reese Johnson, 2nd; Kelly Lingen, 5th; Kellin Robinson of Roseville, Minnesota, 6th

Persuasive Speaking

• Quarterfinalists: Jaleon Brown
• Semifinalists: Samantha Sallee; Tess Welch
• Finalists: Christian Butterfield, 4th

Poetry Interpretation

• Semifinalists: Reese Johnson
• Finalists: Rashon Leday, National Champion; Reggie Jefferson, 2nd; Kelly Lingen, 3rd

Program Oral Interpretation

• Semifinalists: Imanii Giles of Hodgenville, Kentucky; Kellin Robinson
• Finalists: Mauricio Patino, 2nd; Tani Washington, 3rd; Paige Allbright, 4th; Danielle Williams, 5th; Jonah Johnson, 6th

Prose Interpretation

• Quarterfinalists: Dakota Perry; Noah Gordon; Kelly Lingen
• Semifinalists: Imanii Giles; Samantha Sallee; Paige Allbright
• Finalists: Reese Johnson, National Champion: Mauricio Patino, 2nd; Shainna Ralston, 4th; Caitlyn Woitena, 5th

Individual Sweepstakes

• Reese Johnson, 1st; Paige Allbright, 2nd; Tani Washington, 3rd; Caitlyn Woitena, 6th; Mauricio Patino, 7th; Kelly Lingen, 8th; Samantha Sallee, 9th; Reggie Jefferson, 10th

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