The Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) Speech & Debate Team continued their successful season with strong individual performances Oct. 14-15 at the Bulldog Swing, hosted on the campus of Concordia University in Seward, Neb. The team has now competed in four tournaments across the region, with four individual team members earning a spot to compete in the national competition next spring.
On Oct. 14, the team competed against eight other schools, finishing fifth place overall. In Persuasive Speaking, Tolu Adedoja, freshman from Oyo, Nigeria, placed fifth. Freshman Mikaela Graham, from Greeley, Colo., placed sixth in Poetry Interpretation.
On Oct. 15, the same eight schools faced off again, with the team once again earning a fifth place finish. Isaac Sam, sophomore from Dansoman, Ghana, finished third in Informative Speaking, while Graham earned a fourth place finish in Poetry Interpretation.
Also representing the WNCC Speech & Debate Team were Hannah Plasencio, freshman from Mitchell, Neb., and Christian Skinner, freshman from Scottsbluff, Neb.
"Our students are working hard to represent not only themselves, but WNCC as well," said Kenny Hopkinson, WNCC Speech & Debate team co-coach. "We were the only community college in attendance. Any time our students can compete against some of the best four-year programs in the country and place in several events, it says something about the caliber of our program."
Several team members are now qualified for the National Forensics Association National Tournament in April 2018. Graham is qualified in both Poetry and Dramatic Interpretation, Sam in Informative Speaking, Plasencio in Dramatic Interpretation, and Sebastian Escudero, freshman from Leandro N. Alem, Argentina, in Extemporaneous Speaking and Informative Speaking.
The team is now preparing to co-host a weekend of tournaments with Midland University Nov. 4-5 on Midland's campus in Fremont, Neb.
For more information, email the team at speechteam@wncc.edu.