WKU News

WKU Forensics Team members (from right to left): Hannah Jones, Benjamin Williams, Julie Mischuk, Rae Fournier, Miles Morton, Imam Brula, Andre Swai, Antonina Clementi, Tanya Prabhakar, Evan Grisham.

The WKU Forensics Team captured the combined sweepstakes and debate sweepstakes championship at a tournament hosted in Easton, Pennsylvania, at Lafayette College on October 8-9. 

Senior Andre Swai of Springfield, Missouri, was named the top varsity speaker in Lincoln-Douglas Debate and finished as the tournament runner-up. Six WKU students were recognized as the tournament’s top 10 varsity speakers. All WKU varsity competitors earned a winning record and five advanced to the Top 8.  Senior Tanya Prabhakar of Danville, California, joined Swai in the Final Four to ensure a debate sweepstakes championship. WKU finished ahead of California State University-Sacramento, Illinois State University, and Centra Michigan University.

Director of Debate Chad Meadows said: “After a long wait, it was incredibly rewarding to travel and compete live against colleagues from universities coast to coast.  In-person debate is both a competition, and an enriching engagement opportunity for our students to represent the WKU Spirit. Every student took advantage of state opportunity and it ended with a team win.”

Team members also participated virtually in the Online Asynchronous Tournament Series (OATS) 1, earning second-place team sweepstakes against 33 other universities including the University of Alabama and Illinois State University.

This weekend, the forensics team will travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to compete at the Crimson Classic.

Results from the “OCHOIE” are as follows:

• Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Andre Swai, Runner-Up; Tanya Prabhakar, Top 4; Antonina Clementi of Lafayette, Louisiana, Top 8; Hannah Jones of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Top 8; Rae Fournier of Woodbridge, Virginia, Top 8.
• Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate Speakers: Andre Swai, Top Speaker, Miles Morton of Sherman Oaks, California, 3rd; Antonina Clementi, 4th; Hannah Jones, 7th; Tanya Prabhakar, 8th, Rae Fournier, 9th.
• Rookie Lincoln-Douglas Debate Speakers: Julie Mischuk of Nicholasville, Kentucky, 3rd; Imam Brula of Bowling Green, Kentucky, 4th.
• Impromptu Speaking: Miles Morton, 5th.

Results from OATS 1 are as follows:

• After Dinner Speaking: Danielle Williams of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, 4th.
• Communication Analysis: Collin Tuerk of Murray, Kentucky, 2nd.
• Extemporaneous Speaking: Antonina Clementi of Lafayette, Louisiana, 4th; Kole Ingram of Hindman, Kentucky, 6th.
• Impromptu Speaking: Antonina Clementi, 5th; Kole Ingram 7th.
• Informative Speaking: Samantha Sallee of Danville, Kentucky, 1st.
• Persuasive Speaking: Kole Ingram, 3rd.
• Program Oral Interpretation: Noah Gordon of Pittsburg, California, 4th.
• Prose Interpretation: Jaleon Brown of Raytown, Missouri, 2nd, Samantha Sallee, 5th.

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.