The Whitworth University Forensics team started the season with a bang at the Lewis & Clark tournament this weekend. The Arguing Bucs brought home 13 speech awards and eight debate awards. The team took second place in the speech competition, out of 16 schools alone in speech. The team took third place overall out of 37 schools from nine states in combined speech and debate. The Pirates defeated regional rivals including Oregon State University, Rice University, the University of Oregon and the University of Utah.
In the senior debate division among 28 debaters:
- Sara Muscente ’19 was an octofinalist (top 16) and Eric Anderson ’21 was a semifinalist (final four)
In the junior debate division among 27 debaters:
- Solenne de Tassigny ’22 and Jericho Simone ’22 were both quarterfinalists (elite eight) at their first college tournament.
In the novice debate division among 46 debaters:
- Mykel Greene ’21, Eli Min ’22 and AhLana Ames ’22 were octofinalists, all at their first college tournament.
- Speaker awards went to Calvin Payne for second place.
The speech results included:
- Solenne de Tassigny ’22 took fith in novice extemporaneous
- Sean Duarte took fourth in junior extemporaneous
- Daniel Giorello ‘20 won junior impromptu
- Mykel Greene ’21 took third in novice extemporaneous
- Kelea Ilac ’22 took third in novice prose
- Chauncey Koulibali ’22 took fourth in poetry
- Justin Lin ’21 won novice extemporaneous and took 2nd in novice informative
- Eli Min ’22 won novice persuasion
- Sanjay Philip’21 won junior extemporaneous.
- Jericho Simone ’22 took fifth in informative
- Tucker Wilson took seventh in after dinner speaking and fifth in impromptu
Alumni Lori Welch ’90 was a guest judge for Whitworth at the tournament. The team’s next tournament will be October 27-28 at Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR.
The team is coached Mike Ingram, Professor of Communication Studies and Assistant Forensics Coach Rebecca Korf ‘15.
(Students in the novice division have limited high school experience and have won fewer than three awards in a particular speech category as defined by the Northwest Forensics Conference, and junior division is for those winning fewer than eight awards.)
