WKU News

WKU Forensics Team members traveled to Normal and Peoria, Illinois, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to compete in four tournaments the weekend of Oct. 7-8.

In Alabama, WKU’s squad won the team sweepstakes at both tournaments, as well as the overall team sweepstakes championship for the two tournaments combined. Other competing schools included the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Alabama and William Carey University. Senior Andrea Ambam also won the individual event championships -- a measure of personal success across multiple events -- at both tournaments. In all, the team members secured 12 individual event championships.

The Illinois tournaments were hosted at Illinois State University on Saturday and at Bradley University on Sunday. At both of these tournaments WKU’s team of 11 won the team sweepstakes ahead of such schools as Ball State University, Northwestern University, Eastern Michigan University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Senior Lily Nellans also distinguished herself at both tournaments, winning first and then second in quadrathon, a measure of personal success across four events.

Next weekend the team will travel to Muncie, Indiana, to compete at the Ball State University “Age of Aquarius” Swing tournaments.

Results from the University of Alabama “Crimson Classic” Swing are as follows:

• Andrea Ambam, a junior from Peculiar, Missouri, tournament champion in individual sweepstakes, tournament champion in communication analysis, tournament champion in informative speaking, tournament champion in persuasive speaking, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Lyric Davis) and second in after-dinner speaking at the Crimson Classic tournament; tournament champion in individual sweepstakes, tournament champion in after-dinner speaking, tournament champion in communication analysis, tournament champion in informative speaking, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Lyric Davis) and third in persuasive speaking at the Alabama Alumni tournament.
• Durwan Green, a senior from Lewisville, Texas, tournament champion in prose interpretation, second in poetry interpretation, fourth in duo interpretation (with Matt Wisenden) and fifth in duo interpretation (with Sean Diaz) at the Crimson Classic tournament; tournament champion in poetry interpretation, second in duo interpretation (with Sean Diaz) fifth in duo interpretation (with Matt Wisenden) and sixth in prose interpretation at the Alabama Alumni tournament.
• Kayla English, a junior from Indianapolis, Indiana, tournament champion in after-dinner speaking, third in poetry interpretation and third in informative speaking at the Crimson Classic tournament; fourth in after-dinner speaking and fifth in informative speaking at the Alabama Alumni tournament.
• Lyric Davis, a senior from Blue Springs, Missouri, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Andrea Ambam) and fourth in poetry interpretation at the Crimson Classic tournament; tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Andrea Ambam) and fourth in poetry interpretation at the Alabama Alumni tournament.
• Mackenzie Birkey, a senior from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, second in persuasive speaking and fifth in prose interpretation at the Crimson Classic tournament; second in persuasive speaking and fifth in prose interpretation at the Alabama Alumni tournament.
• Sam Moore, a senior from Blue Springs, Missouri, tournament champion in dramatic interpretation and second in poetry interpretation at the Alabama Alumni tournament; second in dramatic interpretation at the Crimson Classic tournament.
• Sean Diaz, a senior from El Paso, Texas, second in duo interpretation (with Durwan Green) and third in dramatic interpretation at the Alabama Alumni tournament; fifth in duo interpretation (with Durwan Green) at the Crimson Classic tournament.
• Casey Child, a junior from Taylor Mill, second in dramatic interpretation and fourth in prose interpretation at the Alabama Alumni tournament; fourth in dramatic interpretation and fifth in informative speaking at the Crimson Classic tournament.
• Bailey Rung, a senior from Blaine, Minnesota, second in impromptu speaking at the Alabama Alumni tournament; fourth in impromptu speaking and fourth in extemporaneous speaking at the Crimson Classic tournament.
• Murphy Burke, a senior from Des Moines, Iowa, third in individual sweepstakes, third in after-dinner speaking, third in impromptu speaking, fourth in persuasive speaking and fifth in extemporaneous speaking at the Crimson Classic tournament; fourth in persuasive speaking at the Alabama Alumni tournament.
• Matt Wisenden, a junior from Moorhead, Minnesota, third in dramatic interpretation and fourth in duo interpretation (with Durwan Green) at the Crimson Classic tournament; fifth in duo interpretation (with Durwan Green) and sixth in dramatic interpretation at the Alabama Alumni tournament.
• Emily Falica, a sophomore from Scottsville, third in impromptu speaking at the Alabama Alumni tournament; seventh in impromptu speaking at the Crimson Classic tournament.
• Nas Ali, a junior from Roseville, Minnesota, third in poetry interpretation at the Alabama Alumni tournament.

Results from the Illinois State University/Bradley University “Seventy-Four” Swing are as follows:

• Lily Nellans, a senior from Des Moines, Iowa, tournament champion in quadrathon, tournament champion in informative speaking, second in extemporaneous speaking, second in impromptu speaking and third in communication analysis at the Illinois State tournament; tournament champion in impromptu speaking, tournament champion in informative speaking, second in quadrathon and third in communication analysis at the Bradley tournament.
• Brian Anderson, a junior from Hodgenville, tournament champion in extemporaneous speaking and fifth in impromptu speaking at the Illinois State tournament; sixth in impromptu speaking at the Bradley tournament.
• Bradley Wascher, a sophomore from Montgomery, Alabama, third in extemporaneous speaking and fourth in informative speaking at the Bradley tournament; third in extemporaneous speaking and sixth in informative speaking at the Illinois State tournament.
• Zach Bernat, a freshman from Canfield, Ohio, third in after-dinner speaking and fourth in dramatic interpretation at the Illinois State tournament; sixth in dramatic interpretation at the Bradley tournament.
• Alyssa Wilhelm, a sophomore from Roseville, Minnesota, third in prose interpretation at the Bradley tournament.
• Megan Armstrong, a senior from Morehead, fourth in informative speaking and sixth in after-dinner speaking at the Illinois State tournament.
• Corey Newsome, a freshman from Morehead, fifth in dramatic interpretation at the Illinois State tournament.
• Sabas Del Toro, a junior from El Paso, Texas, fifth in prose interpretation at the Bradley tournament.

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

Contact: Ganer Newman, (270) 745-6340