Concordia Forensics
Concordia Forensics Returns Home 14th in the Nation
Concordia speech competitors rose above 70 other colleges and universities to place 14th in the American Forensic Association’s National Individual Events Tournament.
Twelve Concordia students traveled to the national competition at the University of Nebraska Kearney. Stephanie Villella ’11, Fargo, N.D., Andrew Eilola ’12, Eveleth, Minn., and Alexander MacArthur ’12, Marshall, Minn., all made the cut from the guaranteed preliminary round competition to single elimination finals. Villella reached the quarterfinals of the prose interpretation event while MacArthur reached the quarterfinals of dramatic interpretation. Their quarterfinal finish placed them among the top 24 competitors in the tournament.
Eilola advanced to the semifinals of persuasive speaking and then advanced again to the tournament final round, placing sixth in the nation. “I was so pleased to make it to the finals,” Eilola said. Making it to the finals meant delivering his persuasive speech about cutting military spending six times during the three-day competition. Eilola quickly moved past his personal accomplishments to talk about the excitement for the Concordia team. “We have very high goals throughout the year and we were excited to get into the top 15 benchmark,” Eilola said.
Villella also received a top award when she was named an All-American by the vote of the tournament governing committee. The All-American award is based on a student’s combined achievements in academic, competitive, and service realms.
“It was nice to be recognized for being academically inclined,” Villella said. “I felt like I was representing the college well.” Only 14 students earned All-American honors. More than 600 students participated in the competition.
Assistant director of forensics Megan Orcholski said because this is one of the few tournaments in which preliminary points count, how each person on the team did mattered. “We have superstars, but we have a lot of superstars,” Orcholski said. “We are not driven by one or two people.”
Cobbers Prepare for the 2011 National Tournament
On April 2-4, the Cobbers will be competing at the 2011 American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET), to be held at the University of Nebraska - Kearney. The team will be bringing a total of 40 qualified events, with hopes of continuing success gained last year, when they were awarded 18th place in the nation. Individual competitors and qualified events are noted below. Thanks for all the support so far, and be sure to wish them luck as they finish up the season!
Class of 2011
Kelsey Raasch - Impromptu, Communication Analysis, Drama
Jen Pagh - Prose, Program Oral Interpretation, Poetry, After Dinner Speaking, Duo (w/ Joe Anderson)
Jessie Strending - Poetry
Steph Villella - Prose, Impromptu, POI, Persuade, Poetry, ADS
Class of 2012
Alex MacArthur - Informative, Prose, POI, Poetry, Drama, Duo (w/ Jenna Nypan)
Andrew Eilola - Prose, ADS, POI, Poetry, Persuade
Tyler Dugger - Impromptu, Extemporaneous Speaking
Class of 2013
Cole Kantos - Impromptu, Extemp
Meg Henrickson - Prose, CA, Persuade, ADS
Jenna Nypan - Prose, CA, Drama, Duo (w/ Alex MacArthur)
Britt Aasmundstad - CA, Informative, Extemp
Class of 2014
Joe Anderson - Duo (w/ Jen Pagh)
Cobbers Capture Six More AFA Qualifications
On March 11-12, Concordia College speech competitors traveled to South Dakota State University to compete at the District IV Qualifying Tournament. Concordia competed against nationally ranked teams from across the Midwest, including the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, and the University of Northern Iowa. The tournament is the last chance to qualify events to the American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET), and automatically qualifies the top individuals in each event. Cobbers who qualified events at the tournament are noted below:
Andrew Eilola ’12 – After Dinner Speaking
Meg Henrickson ’13 – After Dinner Speaking, Prose Interpretation
Cole Kantos ’13 – Impromptu Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking
Jenna Nypan ’13 – Dramatic Interpretation
Jen Pagh ’11, Kelsey Raasch ’11, Jessie Strending ’11, Britt Aasmundstad ’13, Hannah Houle ’14, and Steph Adams ’14 also contributed to the team’s overall success. Altogether, the Cobbers have accumulated over 40 AFA qualifications, and are preparing for the national tournament to be held April 2-4 at the University of Nebraska – Kearney.
Concordia Wins both VFL Tournaments
Concordia College Speech Competitors competed on the campuses of NDSU and Concordia March 4-5 for the Valley Forensics League tournaments #3 and #4. Out of 14 schools that competed, Concordia took first both days. This is the team’s 4th consecutive win this season, and 5th this semester as a whole. The team will travel to SDSU this weekend to compete at the District IV Qualifier, which will be the last tournament before nationals at the beginning of April.
Individual events are noted below.
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VFL #3: Impromptu Speaking: Tyler Dugger ‘12 - 1st Place Kelsey Raasch ‘11 - 2nd Place Steph Villella ‘11 - 4th Place Persuasive Speaking: Kelsey Raasch - 5th Place POI: Jessie Strending ‘11 - 1st Place Jen Pagh '11 - 3rd Place Duo: Jenna Nypan ‘13/Meg Henrickson ‘13 - 2nd Place ADS: Hannah Houle ‘14 - 1st Place Steph Villella - 2nd Place Andrew Eilola - 3rd Place Jessica Strending - 4th Place Poetry Interpretation: Jessica Strending - 3rd Place Informative Speaking: Hannah Houle - 2nd Place Jen Pagh - 3rd Place Cole Kantos - 6th Place Extemporaneous Speaking: Britt Aasmundstad ‘13 - 2nd Place Cole Kantos ‘13 - 6th Place Communication Analysis: Jenna Nypan - 3rd Place Team Sweepstakes: 1st Place |
VFL #4: Impromptu Speaking: Tyler Dugger - 2nd Place Kelsey Raasch - 3rd Place Steph Villella - 4th Place Persuasive Speaking: Britt Aasmundstad - 5th Place Kelsey Raasch - 6th Place Prose Interpretation: Jessica Strending - 2nd Place POI: Jen Pagh - 1st Place Duo Interpretation: Meg Henrickson/Jenna Nypan - 3rd Place Joe Anderson ‘14/Katie Wilson ‘14 - 4th Place ADS: Andrew Eilola - 1st Place Steph Villella - 2nd Place Hannah Houle - 3rd Place Meg Henrickson - 5th Place Jessica Strending - 6th Place Poetry Interpretation: Jessica Strending - 4th Place Informative Speaking: Cole Kantos - 3rd Place Jen Pagh - 4th Place Meg Henrickson - 5th Place Extemporaneous Speaking: Britt Aasmundstad - 4th Place Dramatic Interpretation: Katie Wilson - 3rd Place Communication Analysis: Jenna Nypan - 1st Place Team Sweepstakes: 1st Place |
Cobbers Win 2011 SDSU Bunny Bop
On February 26th, the Concordia College speech team traveled to South Dakota State University to compete at the 2011 Bunny Bop. The Cobbers took 1st place as a team, as well as won five separate speaking events. Competition included Gustavus Adolphus College - St. Peter, MN, Minnesota State University - Mankato, and North Dakota State University. The last regular season tournament will be held on the campuses of Concordia College and NDSU on March 4-5.
Individual results are listed below:
Extemporaneous Speaking:
Britt Aasmundstad '13 – 3rdKelsey Raasch '11 – 4th
Prose:
Kelsey Raasch – 4thAndrew Eilola '12 – 3rd
Info:
Britt Aasmundstad - 2nd
Cole Kantos '13 – 3rd
Andrew Eilola – 4th
Meg Henrickson '13 – 5th
Jen Pagh '11 – 6th
Duo:
Jen Pagh/Joe Anderson '14 – 2nd
Jenna Nypan '13/Meg Henrickson – 3th
After Dinner Speaking:
Steph Villella '11 – 1st
Meg Henrickson – 4th
Communication Analysis:
Jenna Nypan – 1st
Dramatic Interpretation:
Joe Anderson – 6th
Poetry:
Jessie Strending '11 – 1st
Impromptu:
Steph Villella – 1st
Cole Kantos – 3rd
Kelsey Raasch – 5th
Program Oral Interpretation:
Alex MacArthur '12 – 1st
Jen Pagh – 3rd
Cobbers Come Home with 2011 MCFA State Championship
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, second in Editorial Impromptu, 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 and 3rd overall speaker in parliamentary debate.
Katie Wilson '14, Shokapee, Minn. also participated in the team's success, competing in Duo Interpretation and Parliamentary Debate.
Speech Team Members Travel to the University of Northern Iowa
Concordia speech team members traveled to the University of Northern Iowa to compete January 22-23. On the first day of competition, Kelsey Raasch ’11 took 6th place in Dramatic Interpretation and 2nd in Communication Analysis.Britt Aasmundstad ’13 took 6th in Extemporaneous Speaking, and Meg Henrickson ’13 took 4th in Persuasive Speaking.
On the second day, Kelsey Raasch took 5th in Prose Interpretation and 3rd in Dramatic Interpretation. Britt Aasmundstad took 1st in Communication Analysis and 1st in Informative Speaking, and Meg Henrickson took 6th in Informative Speaking. Also competing at the tournament were Jessica Strending ’11 and Hannah Houle ’14.
Cobber Speech Competitors Fare Well in Illinois
The Concordia College speech team competed at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois January 15-16 at one of the largest invitational tournaments of the year. Approximately 40 schools competed from across the nation, including the University of Texas – Austin, California State University – Long Beach, and Eastern Michigan University. On the first day of competition, Steph Villella ’11 semi-finaled in Persuasive Speaking and was awarded 6th place in Poetry Interpretation. Jen Pagh ’11 semi-finaled both Poetry and After Dinner Speaking. Alex MacArthur ’12 semi-finaled Prose Interpretation and was awarded 6th place in Duo Interpretation with partner Jenna Nypan ’13. Meg Henrickson '13 semifinaled ADS.
On the second day of competition, Steph Villella semi-finaled Prose, Persuade, and was awarded 2nd place in Poetry. Jen Pagh semi-finaled ADS. Andrew Eilola was awarded 4th place in Poetry and 6th in Informative Speaking. Jenna Nypan semi-finaled Communication Analysis and Dramatic Interpretation. Joe Anderson ’14 also competed at the tournament. The success from the weekend is a testament to the dedication and effort the squad has put forth this season.
Speech Competitors Finish Strongly at Bradley University Tournament
On November 6-7, the Concordia Speech Team competed in the 63rd annual L. E. Norton Tournament hosted by Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. The Concordia students competed against 46 teams from across the nation including speech powerhouses such as Western Kentucky University, the University of Texas at Austin, and George Mason University. At a tournament often referred to as the “Nationals of the Fall” the Cobbers achieved numerous successes. Stephanie Villella (2011; Fargo,ND) earned the title of Poetry Interpretation champion. Jen Pagh (2011; Apple Valley, MN) took fourth place in Prose Interpretation and also qualified for semi-finals (top 12) in After-Dinner Speaking and Program Oral Interpretation. Andrew Eilola (2012; Eveleth, MN) qualified as a semi-finalist in Program Oral Interpretation. Alex MacArthur (2012; Marshall, MN) competed in semi-finals in both Dramatic Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation. Finally, Britt Aasmundstud (2013; Devils Lake, ND) reached the semi-finals in Communication Analysis.
Also attending the tournament were Joe Anderson (2014, OR), Meg Henrickson (2013; Yankton, SD), Jenna Nypan (2013; Staples, MN), Kelsey Raasch (2011; Morris, MN), and Jessica Strending (2011; Great Falls, MT).
The students are coached by Concordia Communication Studies and Theatre Art department faculty members Megan Orcholski and Christopher Scott. Scott accompanied the group to Peoria.
Cobbers Come Return from Minnesota State University - Mankato and Gustavus Adolphus College with Huge Success
Concordia Speech competitors competed at Minnesota State University – Mankato and Gustavus Adolphus College on October 16th and 17th, returning with huge competitive success. After the first day at MSU - Mankato, Concordia was awarded 3rd place in team sweepstakes and the winner of the prestigious Michael Wartman Quality award, indicating the overall quality of every member of the team. Competitors included Kelsey Raasch ’11, Steph Villella ’11, Jen Pagh ’11, Andrew Eilola ’12, Alex MacArthur ’12, Meg Henrickson ’13, Jenna Nypan ’13, Kari Mehr ’14, and Anders Frank ’14. Individual results are noted blow.
Dancing with the Schnoor Invitational:
Persuasive Speaking: Steph Villella, 1st; Meg Henrickson, 2nd; Kelsey Raasch, 6th
Communication Analysis: Jenna Nypan, 5th
Prose Interpretation: Steph Villella, 1st; Alex MacArthur, 3rd; Jen Pagh, semifinalist; Jenna Nypan, semifinalist
Impromptu: Steph Villella, 3rd
Informative Speaking: Alex MacArthur, 5th
Poetry Interpretation: Alex MacArthur, 1st; Steph Villella, 2nd; Jen Pagh, 3rd
After Dinner Speaking: Jen Pagh, 2nd
Overall Speaker Award: Steph Villella, 2nd; Alex MacArthur, 3rd
Team Sweepstakes: Gustavus Adolphus College, 1st; Illinois State University, 2nd; Concordia College, 3rd
Bill Roberts Invitational:
Persuasive Speaking: Andrew Eilola, 3rd; Meg Henrickson, 6th
Communication Analysis: Meg Henrickson, 2nd
Prose Interpretation: Jen Pagh, 3rd; Alex MacArthur, 4th; Jenna Nypan, 5th; Steph Villella, semifinalist, Andrew Eilola, semifinalist
Informative Speaking: Alex MacArthur, 2nd
Poetry Interpretation: Alex MacArthur, 1st; Jen Pagh, 3rd
Program Oral Interpretation: Andrew Eilola, 4th
After Dinner Speaking: Jen Pagh, 3rd
Dramatic Interpretation: Alex MacArthur, 2nd
Overall Speaker Award: Alex MacArthur, 1st
Team Sweepstakes: Illinois State University, 1st; Concordia College, 2nd; Minnesota State University - Mankato, 3rd
Concordia competed with 13 schools throughout the Midwest, including Illinois State University (Normal, IL), University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, and North Dakota State University.
Speech Competitors Fare Well at Home
On October 8 and 9 the Concordia College Speech Team competed at the Valley Forensics League Tournament hosted on their own campus. There were two full days of competition in which the team acquired multiple successes. Competitors included Jessie Strending '11, Tyler Dugger '12, Meg Henrickson '13, Jenna Nypan '13,Britt Aasmundstad '13, Joe Anderson '14, Betsy Sullivan '14, Hannah Houle '14, and Katie Wilson '14.
Day 1:
POI: Jessie Strending, 4th
Poetry: Jessie Strending, 2nd
Persuasion: Meg Henrickson, 3rd; Jessie Strending, 4th
Communication Analysis: Meg Henrickson, 1st; Jenna Nypan, 2nd; Britt Aasmundstad, 6th
Prose Interpretation: Jenna Nypan, 2nd; Meg Henrickson, 4th
Informative Speaking: Joe Anderson, 1st; Betsy Sullivan, 5th
Extemporaneous Speaking: Tyler Dugger, 1st; Britt Aasmundstad, 6th
Impromptu Speaking: Hannah Houle, 4th
Team Sweepstakes: 3rd
Day 2:
Poetry: Jessie Strending, 5th
Communication Analysis: Meg Henrickson, 1st; Jenna Nypan, 2nd
Persuasion: Meg Henrickson, 4th; Britt Aasmundstad, 3rd
Prose: Meg Henrickson, 2nd; Jenna Nypan, 5th
Impromptu Speaking: Jenna Nypan, 4th
Dramatic Interpretation: Katie Wilson, 6th
Informative Speaking: Joe Anderson, 6th
Extemporaneous Speaking: Tyler Dugger, 3rd; Britt Aasmundstad, 6th
Team Sweepstakes: 3rd
Concordia Speech Competitors Win the Jackrabbit Joust
On October first and second, the Concordia College Speech team traveled to Brookings, South Dakota and competed at the Jackrabbit Joust hosted by South Dakota State University. The Cobbers swept the competition taking first place as a team. Moreover, the team achieved many individual successes.
Individual Sweepstakes: Alex MacArthur, 1st place
Prose Interpretation: Andrew Eilola, 1st place; Alex MacArthur, 2nd place; Meg Henrickson, 5th place
Informative Speaking: Alex MacArthur, 2nd place
Impromptu Speaking: Tyler Dugger, 2nd place; Kelsey Raasch, 4th place
Poetry Interpretation: Alex MacArthur, 1st place
Persuasive Speaking: Andrew Eilola, 1st place; Meg Henrickson, 2nd place; Britt Aasmunstand, 3rd place; Kelsey Raasch, 5th place; Jessie Strending, 6th place
Extemporaneous Speaking: Tyler Dugger, 1st place
Program Oral Interpretation: Andrew Eilola, 2nd place
Communication Analysis: Meg Henrickson, 3rd place
Concordia Speech Competitors Open the Season in Illinois
On September 25th and 26th, Concordia speech competitors attended tournaments held at North Central College in Naperville, IL and Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL. Jen Pagh ’11, Steph Villella ’11, and Andrew Eilola ’12 competed at the tournaments, marking the beginning of the team’s season. Individual results are noted below.
Day 1:
Persuasive Speaking: Steph Villella, 7th; Andrew Eilola, 6th
After Dinner Speaking: Jen Pagh, 5th
Poetry Interpretation: Jen Pagh, 4th; Steph Villella, 2nd
Day 2:
Poetry Interpretation: Jen Pagh, 1st; Steph Villella, 2nd
Impromptu: Steph Villella, 7th
Program Oral Interpretation: Jen Pagh, 4th
Prose Interpretation: Steph Villella, 6th; Andrew Eilola, 5th
At the 2nd tournament, the team also placed 5th in team sweepstakes.
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