McKendree Speech & Debate Took Home 108 Awards in Fall
(LEBANON, Ill., January 17, 2017) — The McKendree University speech and debate team completed its fall season of competition with 108 awards, including 21 first-place
finishes. Currently, McKendree has two debate teams ranked in the top 20 in the National
Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE) rankings. Alex Baldwin and Gage Simmons
are 10th, while Beth Graham and Adeja Powell are 17th (of a field of 480 teams). Both teams have also received first-round bids to the
NPTE. Additionally, McKendree is ranked sixth of 97 programs by the National Parliamentary
Debate Association.
McKendree has two debate tournament wins – its home tournament (Baldwin and Simmons)
and at Webster University (Kaitlyn Hutchison and Brad Riedemann). McKendree students
also have won top speaker three times – Powell at Wheaton College and the University
of Central Missouri, as well as Hutchison at Webster University.
McKendree students have qualified five individual events for the American Forensic
Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET). Katie Reining has qualified
in both persuasive speaking and after dinner speaking, while taking home five event
championships – two in persuasive speaking, two in communication analysis, and one
in after dinner speaking.
Additionally, Andrew Wagner has qualified in informative speaking, while winning four
tournaments – two in communication analysis, one in extemporaneous speaking and one
in impromptu speaking. Noelle Zickefoose has qualified in program oral interpretation
(POI) with three tournament wins – two in after dinner speaking and one in POI. Finally,
Dylan Comer and Emma Webster have qualified in duo interpretation with one win in
the event, while Webster has also won prose interpretation.
McKendree will resume competition on Jan. 27 at Webster University’s Gorlok Gala.
-McK-
The McKendree University debate team
The McKendree University speech team
