McKendree Advances to Final Rounds at Five National Tournaments
Speech and Debate Team Takes Home 30 Awards
(LEBANON, Ill., April 24, 2018) — The McKendree University Speech and Debate Team took home 30 awards at nationals this year, including:
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a ninth and a 24th place finish at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence
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two 25th place finishes at the National Forensic Association Championship Tournament
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four seventh place finishes at the National Speech Championships
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two seventh place finishes at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament
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a selection to the All-American team
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two service awards for coaches
- and a novice national championship.
McKendree was the only school to advance at all five national tournaments.
Eighty-two colleges and universities, including Northwestern University, Wiley College,
and Ohio State University, attended the Pi Kappa Delta (PKD) national tournament,
hosted by Tennessee State University, on March 14-17. Representing McKendree were
juniors Justin Fausz and Aliyah Smith; sophomores Kate Maag and Lyndellia Mannie;
and first-years Chandler Flesch, Caden Owens and Rebecca Postula. Postula advanced
to the final round of novice Lincoln-Douglas debate and defeated a student from Texas
A&M to win the novice national championship. She was also the second place speaker
in the division. Maag and Smith both advanced to the semifinal round of slam poetry,
tying for seventh place. Smith also received excellent awards in drama and programmed
oral interpretation.
Thirty-five colleges and universities, including George Mason University, the University
of Florida, and the University of Minnesota, attended the National Speech Championships
(NSC), hosted by the University of Nebraska, on March 24-25. Representing McKendree
were senior Emma Webster; juniors Aliyah Smith and Andrew Wagner; and sophomores Grace
Alexander, Kate Maag and Isa Scaturro. Wagner finished as a semifinalist in three
events: informative speaking, persuasive speaking, and duo interpretation with Webster.
Webster also reached semifinals in duo interpretation with Smith. Reaching quarterfinals
were Alexander (drama, impromptu speaking, and after-dinner speaking), Maag (poetry
and extemporaneous speaking), Scaturro (after dinner speaking and informative speaking),
Smith (programmed oral interpretation), Wagner (extemporaneous speaking and communication
analysis), and Webster (communication analysis). Speech coach Stephen Hagan received
the NSC Service Award, after having received the NSC Coach of the Year award last
year.
Forty-six colleges and universities, including Stanford, Notre Dame, and the University
of Oklahoma, attended the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) Championship
Tournament, hosted by Lewis and Clark College on March 24-26. Representing McKendree
were seniors Alex Baldwin, Beth Graham, and Gage Simmons; junior Adeja Powell; and
first-years Mitch Deleel and Aaron Mattoon. Baldwin and Simmons posted a 5-3 record
and finished as triple-octofinalists. The teams of Deleel and Powell as well as Graham
and Mattoon finished with even records, just missing the break to elimination rounds.
Baldwin was selected to the NPDA All-American team, becoming only the third student
from McKendree to receive that honor. Finally, McKendree took 15th place in season sweepstakes.
Twenty-one colleges and universities, including the University of California at Berkeley,
the University of Oregon, and Rice University, attended the National Parliamentary
Tournament of Excellence (NPTE), hosted by Lewis and Clark College, on March 29-31.
Representing McKendree were seniors Alex Baldwin, Beth Graham, and Gage Simmons; junior
Adeja Powell; and first-years Mitch Deleel and Aaron Mattoon. The team of Deleel and
Powell posted a 6-6 prelim record, but advanced to all the way to the fifth elimination
debate, defeating teams from the University of Oregon, the University of Minnesota,
and Lewis and Clark College. They finished in ninth place – the fourth best finish
McKendree has ever had at NPTE. Baldwin and Simmons went 7-5 in prelims and advanced
to the third elimination debate. They defeated Grand Canyon University to finish in
24th place. Finally, assistant coach Zach Schneider received the first-ever NPTE Service
Award and was elected to serve on the NPTE Board of Trustees, along with director
Joe Blasdel.
The squad concluded its season at the National Forensic Association Championship Tournament,
hosted by the University of Wisconsin, on April 25-30. Sixty-six colleges and universities,
including Northwestern University, Arizona State University and the University of
Texas attended. Representing McKendree were senior Emma Webster; juniors Lea Smith
and Andrew Wagner; and sophomores Grace Alexander and Isa Scaturro. Webster advanced
to the octofinal round of rhetorical criticism (or communication analysis), finishing
in 25th place. Wagner advanced to the octofinal round of persuasive speaking, also finishing
in 25th place. McKendree finished in 12th place in President’s Division Two Sweepstakes.
Competing at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence for McKendree University were Zach Schneider, Brent Nicholson, Beth Graham, Gage Simmons, Alex Baldwin, Adeja Powell, Aaron Mattoon and Mitch Deleel.
Representing McKendree University at the Pi Kappa Delta forensics tournament were, front row, Aliyah Smith, Rebecca Postula, Kate Maag; back row, Lyndellia Mannie, Caden Owens, Chandler Flesch and Justin Fausz.
Competing for McKendree University at the National Forensics Association Tournament were Andrew Wagner, Emma Webster, Isa Scaturro, Lea Smith and Grace Alexander.
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