WKU News

WKU Forensics team members at the NFA National Tournament: (back row, from left) Mauricio Patiño, Rae Fournier, JaKayla Brown, Antonina Clementi, Chase Shockley, Jaleon Brown, Niklas Schintgen, Hannah Jones, Danielle Williams, Jacob Holbrook, Rashon Leday, Joseph Eberle, Collin Tuerk, Kirsten Eversmann, Ryder Hebert, Somtoo Nkurumeh Finn Larson, Kole Ingram; (front row, from left) Karisha Petty, Cecilia Alali, Jade Ismail, Jonah Johnson, Noah Gordon, Denise Marine, Caroline Chubb, Sophie Todaro, Samantha Sallee, Christian Butterfield.

WKU Forensics took first in Open sweepstakes at the National Forensics Association National Tournament on April 18-22 hosted by Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

Sixty-one colleges and universities attended the competition as 399 students took part in a tournament that spanned over 11,244 ranks and decisions.

WKU sent 27 students to the tournament who prepared 105 entries in speech. Of the 105 speech entries, 78 advanced to the Octofinals (Top 48), 44 advanced to the Quarterfinals (Top 24), 26 broke to the Semifinals (Top 12), and 14 entries were finalists (Top 6).

Two students won national championships in their categories: Jade Ismail of Lafayette, Louisiana, in After Dinner Speaking and Cecilia Alali of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in Dramatic Interpretation.

WKU finished ahead of the University of Texas at Austin, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Bradley University, George Mason University, the University of Minnesota, Ball State University, Wayne State University, and Illinois State University who rounded out the Top 10 teams in open sweepstakes.

Three students placed in Pentathlon, given to students with five or more events in at least two of the three speech categories (public address, interpretation of literature, limited preparation): Christian Butterfield of Bowling Green, Kentucky, 2nd; Cecilia Alali, 5th; and Mauricio Patiño of Stockton, California, 15th.

Director of Forensics Ganer Newman said: “Every member of the Individual Events (IE) portion of the team advanced to at least one out round during the competition, underscoring the significant contributions of each team member to our success.”

WKU entered seven students in the Lincoln-Douglas debate competition.  Five advanced to the Top 32, two advanced the Top 8, and one advanced to the Top 4.

WKU placed second in Lincoln-Douglas Debate sweepstakes, behind Washburn University. WKU finished ahead of the University of North Texas, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Truman State University.

Three students were named top speakers in Lincoln-Douglas debates, given to students who earned the most points from judges in the preliminary rounds: Antonina Clementi of Lafayette, Louisiana, 3rd; Rae Fournier of Woodbridge, Virginia, 7th; Chase Shockley of Carthage, Missouri, 9th.

Director of Debate Chad Meadows said: “It was an honor to represent WKU with multiple students in the top eight of LD, a feat we have achieved three times in the last five years. The debates on the last day represented an exhilarating and edifying experience for all our team members who poured their hearts into the preparation for the debates. Placing second in sweepstakes despite being a smaller LD entry was a testament to the team’s overall quality. This effort represented the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of research on American national security institutions. The excellence of these outcomes is indicative of the ability of our students to lead discussions about the country’s future.”

Newman said: “I am astonished by the excellence of these students. They remained committed throughout the entire season, winning nearly every major competition we attended. The national championship stands as a testament to their hard work and dedication, as well as the exceptional guidance provided by our coaches. Additionally, the unwavering support from our alumni, administration, and community members has played a pivotal role in our success, driving us forward with enthusiasm and encouragement. We are immensely proud to keep the national championship home in Bowling Green!”

Members of the championship team were: Cecilia Alali of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; JaKayla Brown of Kansas City, Kansas; Jaleon Brown of Raytown, Missouri, Christian Butterfield of Bowling Green, Kentucky; Caroline Chubb of Lewis Center, Ohio; Antonina Clementi of Lafayette, Louisiana; Joey Eberle of Maple Grove, Minnesota; Kirsten Eversmann of Harrisburg, Illinois; Rae Fournier of Woodbridge, Virginia; Noah Gordon of Pittsburg, California; Ryder Hebert of Madison, Mississippi; Jacob Holbrook of Morehead, Kentucky; Kole Ingram of Hindman, Kentucky; Jade Ismail of Lafayette, Louisiana; Jonah Johnson of Burnsville, Minnesota; Hannah Jones of Bowling Green, Kentucky; Finn Larson of Moorehead, Minnesota; Rashon Leday of Lafayette, Louisiana; Denise Marin of Houston, Texas; Somtoo Nkurumeh of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Mauricio Patino of Stockton, California; Karisha Petty of Spring, Texas; Micah Poole of Lafayette, Louisiana; Sammy Sallee of Danville, Kentucky; Nik Schintgen of Lansing, Kansas; Chase Shockley of Carthage Missouri; Sophie Todaro of St. Paul, Minnesota; Collin Tuerk of Morehead, Kentucky; and Danielle Williams of Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Results from the NFA national tournament are as follows:

After Dinner Speaking

• Finalists: Jade Ismail, National Champion; Joey Eberle, 6th.
• Quarterfinalists: Christian Butterfield.
• Octofinalists: Sophie Todaro; Collin Tuerk.

Dramatic Interpretation

• Finalists: Cecilia Alali, National Champion; Jade Ismail, 4th.
• Semifinalists: Jonah Johnson; Sammy Sallee; Karisha Petty; Rashon Leday; Mauricio Patino.
• Quarterfinalists: Noah Gordon
• Octofinalists: Somtoo Nkurumeh; Micah Poole; Carolin Chubb.

Duo Interpretation

• Finalists: Cecilia Alali and Jade Ismail, 2nd; Jonah Johnson and Noah Gordon, 6th.
• Semifinalists: Mauricio Patino and Sammy Sallee.
• Quarterfinalists: Collin Tuerk and Sophie Todaro; Finn Larson and Somtoo Nkurumeh
• Octofinalists: Caroline Chubb and Denise Marin.

Extemporaneous Speaking

• Finalists: Christian Butterfield, 5th.
• Quarterfinalists: Antonina Clementi; Joey Eberle.
• Octofinalists: Ryder Hebert; Rae Fournier

Impromptu Speaking

• Finalists: Christian Butterfield, 3rd.
• Octofinalists: Ryder Hebert; Jaleon Brown; Joey Eberle.

Informative Speaking

• Finalists: Christian Butterfield, 4th; Rashon Leday, 6th.
• Semifinalists: Mauricio Patino
• Quarterfinalists: Jonah Johnson; Sammy Sallee.
• Octofinalists: Kirsten Eversmann; Somtoo Nkurumeh; Joey Eberle; Jaleon Brown.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

• Speaker Awards: Antonina Clementi, 3rd; Rae Fournier, 7th; Chase Shockley, 9th.
• Top 4: Rae Fournier
• Top 8: Chase Shockley
• Top 32: Antonina Clementi; Nik Schintgen; Kole Ingram.

Persuasive Speaking

• Quarterfinalists: Cecilia Alali.

Poetry Interpretation

• Semifinalists: Mauricio Patino; Jonah Johnson
• Quarterfinalists: Cecilia Alali; Somtoo Nkurumeh; Danielle Williams
• Octofinalists: Noah Gordon

Program Oral Interpretation

• Finalists: Sammy Sallee, 5th.
• Semifinalists: Noah Gordon.
• Quarterfinalists: Finn Larson
• Octofinalists: Jacob Holbrook; Collin Tuerk; Rashon Leday; JaKayla Brown; Mauricio Patino; Sophie Todaro; Christian Butterfield; Nik Schintgen; Denise Marin.

Prose Interpretation

• Finalists: Rashon Leday, 2nd.
• Semifinalists: Somto Nkurumeh
• Quarterfinalists: Cecilia Alali; Mauricio Patino; Sammy Sallee.
• Octofinalists:  Micah Poole; Collin Tuerk; Noah Gordon; Denise Marin; Jonah Johnson.

Rhetorical Criticism

• Finalists: Christian Butterfield, 2nd; Cecilia Alali, 3rd.
• Semifinalists: Sammy Sallee
• Quarterfinalists: Jaleon Brown; Jade Ismail
• Octofinalists: Kole Ingram

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

Contact: Ganer Newman, (270) 745-6340.

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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.