WKU News

Andrea Ambam receives the tournament championship in Communication Analysis at the alumni portion of the 2017 WKU/Alumni Fall Forensic Tournament.

The WKU Forensics Team kicked off its competitive season by hosting the Fall Forensic Tournament on WKU’s campus the weekend of Sept. 22-24.

Combining four tournaments in one weekend, the event offered competition in debate and individual events over three days, hosting 20 schools from Arizona to Wisconsin, including the University of Alabama, Arizona State University, University of Kentucky, Illinois State 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 that the tournament is intended to bring debate and public speaking together.

“In one weekend, we hosted two Lincoln-Douglas debate tournaments and two individual events tournaments. Unlike many teams, WKU is equally dedicated to both debate and public speaking,” he said. “I am extremely proud of all of the work our students and staff put into making our season opener a huge success. We especially want to thank the 40 or so professors 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.”

Next weekend, the Hilltoppers will travel to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to compete at the University of Wisconsin.

Results from the WKU Fall Forensic Tournament are as follows:

• Lily Nellans, a senior from Des Moines, Iowa, tournament champion in quadrathon, tournament champion in communication analysis, tournament champion in extemporaneous speaking, tournament champion in informative speaking and second in impromptu speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Bailey Rung, a senior from Blaine, Minnesota, tournament champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate and top debate speaker at the round-robin; tournament champion in impromptu speaking, second in quadrathon and second in extemporaneous speaking at the Alumni tournament; octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the WKU tournament.
• Faith LoPiccolo, a sophomore from Lexington, tournament champion in after-dinner speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Murphy Burke, a senior from Des Moines, Iowa, tournament champion in impromptu speaking, second in after-dinner speaking and sixth in extemporaneous speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Andrea Ambam, a junior from Peculiar, Missouri, tournament champion in communication analysis and second in after-dinner speaking at the Alumni tournament.
• Kayla English, a junior from Indianapolis, Indiana, tournament champion in informative speaking and fourth in poetry interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Mackenzie Birkey, a senior from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, second in dramatic interpretation, third in quadrathon, third in after-dinner speaking, fifth in persuasive speaking and sixth in duo interpretation (with Matt Wisenden) at the Alumni tournament.
• Bradley Wascher, a sophomore from Montgomery, Alabama, second in informative speaking and fourth in extemporaneous speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Matt Wisenden, a junior from Moorhead, Minnesota, second in duo interpretation (with Durwan Green) and sixth in duo interpretation (with Mackenzie Birkey) at the Alumni tournament.
• Emma Warnecke, a freshman from West Bloomfield, Michigan, second in persuasive speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Anthony Survance, a sophomore from Louisville, second in impromptu speaking at the Alumni tournament; third debate speaker and quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the WKU tournament.
• Lyric Davis, a senior from Blue Springs, Missouri, second in poetry interpretation at the WKU tournament.
• Durwan Green, a senior from Lewisville, Texas, second in duo interpretation (with Matt Wisenden) at the Alumni tournament.
• Brian Anderson, a junior from Hodgenville, top debate speaker and quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the WKU tournament; second debate speaker and third in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the round-robin; fourth in extemporaneous speaking at the Alumni tournament.
• Sam Moore, a senior from Blue Springs, Missouri, third in dramatic interpretation and fifth in poetry interpretation at the WKU tournament.
• Ashlyn Jones, a freshman from Lafayette, Louisiana, third novice debate speaker at the WKU tournament; seventh in extemporaneous speaking at the Alumni tournament.
• Megan Armstrong, a senior from Morehead, third in extemporaneous speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Casey Child, a junior from Taylor Mill, third in dramatic interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Lane Hedrick, a junior from Morehead, fourth in impromptu speaking and seventh in extemporaneous speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Alyssa Wilhelm, a sophomore from Roseville, Minnesota, fourth in dramatic interpretation at the WKU tournament.
• Claire Champagne, a sophomore from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, fourth in after-dinner speaking at the Alumni tournament.
• Michael Rizzo, a senior from Weston, Florida, fifth in informative speaking at the WKU tournament.
• Alex Rivera, a sophomore from Newton, Kansas, quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the WKU tournament.
• Kelly Stone, a junior from Louisburg, Kansas, quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the WKU tournament.
• Symone Whalin, a freshman from Sonora, sixth in after-dinner speaking at the Alumni tournament.
• Nas Ali, a junior from Roseville, Minnesota, sixth in poetry interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Zach Bernat, a freshman from Canfield, Ohio, seventh in dramatic interpretation at the Alumni tournament.
• Isaac Keller, a freshman from Kansas City, Missouri, octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the WKU tournament.

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

Contact: Ganer Newman, (270) 745-6340