WKU News

The weekend of Nov. 9-10 WKU’s Forensics Team traveled to Lebanon, Illinois, to compete in two tournaments.

The WKU team won all three team sweepstakes championships, across debate and the two individual events tournaments. In debate, the team advanced three students to the final placings, awarding the championship evenly among the three students. In individual events, the team secured 15 of the available 24 championships, competing against 21 schools, including Illinois State University, Bradley University, the University of Central Missouri and Ball State University. Additionally, four members ranked among the top three in individual sweepstakes--a measure of personal success across an entire tournament; on Saturday, Paige Allbright placed first, Kelly Lingen placed second and Corey Newsome placed third, while on Sunday, Allbright placed first and Parker Anderson placed second.

Next week the team will host a public showcase as part of a weekend of practice with some of its alumni acting as coaches. In two weeks the team split in two, with one squad traveling to Jefferson City, Tennessee, to compete and the other squad remaining at home to host the annual junior high tournament.

Results from the McKendree University “City of Cedars” and “Forensics Roots” Swing Tournaments are as follows:

• Paige Allbright, a sophomore from Youngsville, Louisiana, tournament champion in individual sweepstakes, tournament champion in persuasive speaking, second in programmed oral interpretation, fourth in dramatic interpretation and fourth in after-dinner speaking at the Saturday tournament; tournament champion in programmed oral interpretation, second in dramatic interpretation, third in persuasive speaking and fourth in prose interpretation at the Sunday tournament.
• Kelly Lingen, a sophomore from Lakeville, Minnesota, tournament champion in poetry interpretation, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Faith LoPiccolo), second in individual sweepstakes and second in persuasive speaking at the Saturday tournament; fourth in after-dinner speaking and sixth in prose interpretation at the Sunday tournament.
• Anthony Survance, a senior from Louisville, top debate speaker, tournament champion in extemporaneous speaking, co-champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate and second in impromptu speaking at the Saturday tournament.
• Parker Anderson, a sophomore from Hodgenville, tournament champion in informative speaking, tournament champion in impromptu speaking and second in communication analysis at the Sunday tournament; third in informative speaking and fourth in communication analysis at the Saturday tournament.
• Tess Welch, a sophomore from Houston, Texas, tournament champion in impromptu speaking, second in extemporaneous speaking and third in communication analysis at the Saturday tournament; second in impromptu speaking and fourth in extemporaneous speaking at the Sunday tournament.
• Corey Newsome, a junior from Morehead, tournament champion in programmed oral interpretation, second in poetry interpretation, second in after-dinner speaking and third in individual sweepstakes at the Saturday tournament.
• Isaac Keller, a junior from Kansas City, Missouri, co-champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate, third in impromptu speaking and fifth in extemporaneous speaking at the Saturday tournament.
• Alex Rivera, a senior from Newton, Kansas, co-champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate and fourth debate speaker at the Saturday tournament; tournament champion in extemporaneous speaking and fourth in impromptu speaking at the Sunday tournament.
• Amanda Langford, a sophomore from Goodlettsville, Tennessee, tournament champion in communication analysis, third in after-dinner speaking and sixth in after-dinner speaking at the Saturday tournament; tournament champion in communication analysis at the Sunday tournament.
• Faith LoPiccolo, a senior from Lexington, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Kelly Lingen) at the Saturday tournament.
• Caitlyn Woitena, a freshman from Houston, Texas, second in dramatic interpretation and sixth in persuasive speaking at the Saturday tournament; fourth in dramatic interpretation at the Sunday tournament.
• Alianna Casas, a freshman from Hartford, semifinalist in novice Lincoln-Douglas debate and fourth novice debate speaker at the Saturday tournament.
• Rahmane Dixon, a junior from Houston, Texas, second in persuasive speaking, third in impromptu speaking and third in extemporaneous speaking at the Sunday tournament; third in persuasive speaking and fourth in informative speaking at the Saturday tournament.
• Sal Tinajero Jr., a senior from Santa Ana, California, second in after-dinner speaking and fourth in poetry interpretation at the Sunday tournament; fifth in after-dinner speaking and sixth in poetry interpretation at the Saturday tournament.
• Miles Morton, a freshman from Sherman Oaks, California, third in extemporaneous speaking and sixth in impromptu speaking at the Saturday tournament.

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

Contact: Ganer Newman, (270) 745-6340