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Forensics Society will showcase speeches, poetry, and plays 7 p.m. today in Jaqua Auditorium (room 103), Hugel Science Center.
Nine students will represent the group as it continues its rise as a top program at the National Forensic Association’s national tournament April 18-22 at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
Lafayette will join more than 100 schools competing in 12 events, each of which will involve between 100 and 250 competitors. The team is coming off two outstanding performances in March, including a first-place finish in Lincoln-Douglas debate at a 13-team tournament hosted by Nassau Community College in East Meadow, N.Y., and an individual national championship in extemporaneous speech by first-year student Joe Borland of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., at the 21st annual Novice National Forensics Tournament hosted by Cameron College in Lawton, Okla.
“Both our debate and speech squads have honest shots at national titles this year,” says debate coach Jon Honiball. “I have heard that other schools are considering Lafayette to be the dark horse candidate in both groupings. Other schools are noticing what we are doing.”
“This will be my third NFA national tournament,” adds Michael Lestingi of Centerville, Ohio, a junior pursuing a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and a bachelor of arts degree with majors in International Affairs and Russian & East European Studies. “I think Lafayette, more than ever, is ready to do something [outstanding there] this year.”
Three students will focus exclusively on Lincoln-Douglas debate: Benjamin Berlow, a first-year student from Palmerton, Pa.; Jeremy Bennett, a neuroscience major from Riverside, Pa.; and Paul Kritzler, a sophomore history major from Monkton, Md.
The other students will compete in multiple events: first-year student Colby Block of Boca Raton, Fla., poetry and prose reading; Borland, extemporaneous, impromptu, and persuasive speech; sophomore Erik Heins of Center Moriches, N.Y., extemporaneous and impromptu speech and Lincoln-Douglas debate; Lestingi, after-dinner speaking, impromptu and informative speech, and Lincoln-Douglas debate; junior Pavlos Lykos, a government and law major from Easton, Pa., informative speech and Lincoln-Douglas debate; and first-year student Kimberly Moore of Sandy, Utah, after-dinner speaking, extemporaneous and impromptu speech, and Lincoln-Douglas debate.
The team will be accompanied by Honiball and Scott Placke, director of forensics, as well as two judges.
“The students are ready for NFA nationals,” says Placke. “They have been working very hard to get where they are. The team feels like it is getting stronger every year. If things keep going the way they have been going all year, we should be bringing home some trophies from the national competition.”
“The national tournament is a lot of fun and a lot of work,” says Kritzler. “I look forward to it every year.”
In addition to his national title in extemporaneous speech earlier this month, Borland placed second in impromptu speech. Overall, the team of three Forensics Society first-year competitors finished second in its bracket at the Novice National Forensics Tournament.
Forensics Society took second place at the Pennsylvania State Forensics Association’s State Championship Tournament Feb. 15-16 at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
The team got off to a strong start this season as a group of nine first-year students earned the top three places in extemporaneous speech, scored the top two honors in impromptu speech, and won several other commendations in a 17-team field at the Bloomsburg Novice Tournament Sept. 28.
The team went on to place third at the West Chester Rose Bowl Tournament in October and third again among 26 teams at the Bloomsburg Mad Hatter Tournament in November.
In January, Forensics Society took first place in Lincoln-Douglas debate within a field of more than 25 schools at a tournament hosted by Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. Some of the top schools and competitors in the nation participated in the tournament.
Competing in a field of 36 schools at a major national tournament hosted by University of Texas-Austin Jan. 11-12, Heins made it to the semifinal round of 12 in impromptu speech. He finished just one spot shy of reaching the finals.
Last school year, nine students competed in 17 speech events and eight debate events at the National Forensics Association Championship Tournament April 18-22 at Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga.