Forensics Team Wins State Tournament

Feb 21, 2011

fore The Concordia College Forensics Team won the 2011 Minnesota Collegiate Forensics Association Tournament held at Bethany Lutheran, Mankato, Feb. 19-20.

Winning the championship is a tremendous accomplishment for the seniors who lead the squad, says Dr. Fred Sternhagen, director of forensics. As first-year students, they represented a majority of the team.

"They had a huge challenge in getting to this spot," Sternhagen says. "They've worked hard to accomplish this goal."

Steph Villella '11, Fargo, N.D., says the team is excited to reclaim the state title for the first time since she has been a member of the squad.

"It's what we've been working toward since our first year," she says. "We felt some pressure to do this ourselves."

This is the 17th time in the 27-year history of the tournament that Concordia has won the overall school championship. No other institution has won the overall championship more than six times.

Coaches Megan Orcholski and Chris Scott assisted the team.

Individual winners are:

Jennifer Pagh ’11, Apple Valley, Minn., took first in Dramatic Duo with Joe Anderson ’14, Albany, Ore., second in After Dinner Speaking, and fifth in Program Oral Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation.

Kelsey Raasch’11, Morris, Minn., took first in Dramatic Interpretation, third in Communication Analysis, fourth in Editorial Impromptu and fifth in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Jessie Strending ’11, Great Falls, Mont., was a quarterfinalist in Parliamentary Debate with Hannah Houle ’14, Wyoming, Minn.; Houle also took fourth in Individual Speaker in Parliamentary Debate.

Stephanie Villella ’11, Fargo, N.D. took second in Poetry Interpretation and Prose Interpretation, fourth in Program Oral Interpretation, Persuasive Speaking and Individual Sweepstakes.

Andrew Eilola ’12, Eveleth, Minn., took first in Poetry Interpretation, second in Informative Speaking and sixth in Editorial Impromptu and Program Oral Interpretation.
 
Alex MacArthur ’12, Marshall, Minn., took second in Program Oral Interpretation and Dramatic Duo with Jenna Nypan ’13, Cushing, Minn., fourth in Informative Speaking and fifth in Prose Interpretation and Individual Sweepstakes. Nypan also took fifth in Communication Analysis

Tyler Dugger ’12, Billings, Mont., took second in Extemporaneous Speaking, seventh in Parliamentary Debate and was a semi-finalist in Parliamentary Debate with Meg Henrickson ’13, Yankton, S.D. Henrickson also took sixth in Communication Analysis, fourth in Dramatic Duo with Nypan

Britt Aasmundstad ’13, Devils Lake, N.D., took first individual speaker in Parliamentary Debate and was a quarterfinalist in Parliamentary Debate with Cole Kantos’13, Waupaca, Wis. Kantos also took second in Impromptu Speaking.

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