The WKU Forensic Team extended its state championship streak to more than two decades by winning the Kentucky Forensic Association State Tournament Feb. 18-19.
WKU won its 21st consecutive state championship in the tournament held on the campus of Gateway Community and Technical College in Florence. WKU also was recognized as state champions in debate sweepstakes and was crowned the grand champion for the overall tournament, having walked away with 13 individual state championships. The grand champion sweepstakes are determined by combining each team’s debate points and their individual events points earned over the course of the weekend. The team also closed out the final, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds in parliamentary debate.
First year Director of Forensics Jace Lux feels confident that the team can keep this momentum going for the national tournaments in April. “Clearly, it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to bring a state championship to your campus, and I’m thrilled at the efforts of our students,” he said. “We have a very young team this year, so naturally there is a small amount of concern when taking that many young students to such an important tournament, but they proved that they refuse to fold under pressure. I have no doubt that they’ll head to the national tournaments in April with the same determination and competitive spirit, and that they’ll do what they can to make WKU proud.”
Next weekend, the team will compete in tournaments at Harper College in Palatine, Ill., and Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Individual results for KFA State are as follows:
Khristan Solliday, a junior from Mitchell, Ind., state champion in quadrathon, state champion in after-dinner speaking, state champion in communication analysis, second in impromptu speaking and fifth in persuasive speaking.
Robert Whittley, a senior from Glenview, Ill., state champion in dramatic interpretation, state champion in programmed oral interpretation and third in poetry interpretation.
Sarah Spiker-Rainey, a senior from Snohomish, Wash., state champion in parliamentary debate (with Todd Rainey) and top debate speaker.
Gabriella Devia-Allen, a freshman from Davie, Fla., state champion in poetry interpretation, second in quadrathon, second in informative speaking, second in duo interpretation (with Taylor Hilton) and second in persuasive speaking.
Taylor Hilton, a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., state champion in prose interpretation, second in duo interpretation (with Gabriella Devia-Allen), second in poetry interpretation, third in quadrathon and third in programmed oral interpretation.
Marshall Covert, a freshman from St. Paul, Minn., state champion in persuasive speaking, second in dramatic interpretation, fourth in after-dinner speaking, fifth in quadrathon and fifth in duo interpretation (with Layton Garlington).
Jordan Foster, a freshman from Florence, state champion in extemporaneous speaking, second in parliamentary debate (with Frank Murdock) and fourth debate speaker.
Spencer Orlowski, a freshman from Davie, Fla., state champion in informative speaking and semifinalist in parliamentary debate (with Matt Whitman).
Todd Rainey, a senior from Indianapolis, Ind., state champion in parliamentary debate (with Sarah Spiker-Rainey), fifth debate speaker and sixth in extemporaneous speaking.
Chelsea Harman, a senior from Hickory, second in after-dinner speaking, second in programmed oral interpretation, third in informative speaking, fourth in quadrathon and fourth in prose interpretation.
Sarah Brazier, a freshman from Wadsworth, Ohio, second in prose interpretation, third in duo interpretation (with Ethan Millspaugh), fifth in informative speaking and sixth in dramatic interpretation.
Frank Murdock, a junior from Kingston, Wash., second in parliamentary debate (with Jordan Foster), second in communication analysis, second in extemporaneous speaking, third in impromptu speaking and third debate speaker.
Matt Whitman, a junior from Austin, Texas, semifinalist in parliamentary debate (with Spencer Orwlowski), fourth in communication analysis, fifth in after-dinner speaking and 10th debate speaker.
Ethan Millspaugh, a senior from Coppell, Texas, third in after-dinner speaking and third in duo interpretation (with Sarah Brazier).
Richard Heyne, a freshman from Sunrise, Fla., third in communication analysis, fourth in poetry interpretation and sixth in prose interpretation.
Amanda Waid, a sophomore from Symsonia, third in dramatic interpretation and sixth in persuasive speaking.
Mitchell Grogg, a sophomore from Evansville, Ind., third in extemporaneous speaking and quarterfinalist in parliamentary debate (with Susan Taylor).
Maximilian Tagher, a sophomore from Walton, fourth in informative speaking, quarterfinalist in parliamentary debate (with Robert Strobel) and seventh debate speaker.
Susan Taylor, a freshman from Kansas City, Mo., fourth in impromptu speaking, quarterfinalist in parliamentary debate (with Mitchell Grogg) and ninth debate speaker.
Layton Garlington, a freshman from Ruston, La., fourth in dramatic interpretation, fifth in duo interpretation (with Layton Garlington) and fifth in communication analysis.
Rob Strobel, a senior from Lexington, fifth in extemporaneous speaking and quarterfinalist in parliamentary debate (with Maximilian Tagher).
Contact: Jace Lux, (270) 745-6340.
