WKU News

WKU Forensics Team members placed first in team sweepstakes at the University of Alabama. Front row (from left): Samantha Sallee, Gabriella Abaunza Hernandez, Denise Marin, Rashon Leday, Noah Gordon, Mauricio Patino. Middle row (from left): Kirsten Eversmann, Cecilia Alali, Caitlyn Woitena, Reggie Jefferson,  Danielle Williams, Rachael Akinbayo, Christian Butterfield, Jaleon Brown. Back row (from left): Kole Ingram, Jonah Johnson, Collin Tuerk, Joey Eberle, Dakota Perry. 

The WKU Forensics Team captured the team sweepstakes championship at a tournament hosted in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the University of Alabama on October 15-16.

Across the two tournaments, WKU students earned a championship in seven out of 11 events and earned 38 total finals. WKU finished ahead of the University of Florida, Cornell University, Bradley University, and George Mason University.

Director of Forensics Ganer Newman said: “Our students took a lot of initiative preparing for this competition. While their teammates debated in Pennsylvania the weekend before last, our speech competitors reserved a room on campus to fit in additional practice time. I am proud of all our coaches for their work, especially Director of Individual Events Ben Robin and Interpretation Coach Sean Diaz for driving the students to Tuscaloosa and providing exceptional coaching on location to help WKU win the weekend!” 

The forensics team will participate at its next competition virtually at the Online Asynchronous Tournament Series 2 on October 24. The next in-person competition will be the largest individual events competition the team will face before nationals in April, the L.E. Norton Invitational hosted by Bradley University November 5-6. 

Results from the Crimson Classic

• After Dinner Speaking: Caitlyn Woitena of Houston, Texas, 1st; Racheal Akinbayo of Houston, Texas, 6th.
• Communication Analysis: Tani Washington of Henrico, Virginia, 1st; Collin Tuerk of Morehead, Kentucky, 2nd.
• Dramatic Interpretation: Reggie Jefferson of Houston, Texas, 2nd; Caitlyn Woitena, 5th.
• Duo Interpretation: Jonah Johnson of Burnsville, Minnesota, and Rashon Leday of Lafayette, Louisiana, 1st; Cece Alali of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Jonah Johnson, 4th; Caitlyn Woitena and Samantha Sallee of Danville, Kentucky, 5th.
• Extemporaneous Speaking: Joey Eberle of Maple Grove, Minnesota, 5th.
• Impromptu Speaking: Christian Butterfield of Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1st.
• Informative Speaking: Joey Eberle, 2nd; Racheal Akinbayo, 3rd; Cece Alali, 6th.
• Persuasive Speaking: Kole Ingram of Hindman, Kentucky, 1st.
• Poetry Interpretation: Cece Alali, 1st.
• Program Oral Interpretation: Christian Butterfield, 2nd; Noah Gordon of Pittsburg, California, 4th.
• Prose Interpretation: Samantha Sallee, 3rd; Mauricio Patino of Stockton, California, 6th.

Results from the University of Alabama Alumni Tournament

• After Dinner Speaking: Christian Butterfield, 1st; Caitlyn Woitena, 3rd.
• Communication Analysis: Tani Washington, 1st; Collin Tuerk, 6th.
• Dramatic Interpretation: Reggie Jefferson, 4th; Caitlyn Woitena, 5th; Denise Martin of Houston, Texas, 6th.
• Duo Interpretation: Cece Alali and Jonah Johnson, 1st; Rashon Leday and Jonah Johnson, 2nd; Caitlyn Woitena and Samantha Sallee, 5th.
• Extemporaneous Speaking: Tani Washington, 4th.
• Impromptu Speaking: Christian Butterfield, 2nd.
• Informative Speaking: Samantha Sallee, 1st; Cece Alali, 4th.
• Persuasive Speaking: Kole Ingram, 3rd.
• Poetry Interpretation: Cece Alali, 1st.
• Program Oral Interpretation: Noah Gordon, 6th.
• Prose Interpretation: Jonah Johnson, 2nd.

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.