UA Forensic Council Wins 19th National Championship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —The University of Alabama Forensic Council brought home its 19^th national championship by winning first place in the team sweepstakes at the recent Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha National Tournament.

The team won a total of 46 individual awards (listed below) at the tournament. The UA Forensic Council is an undergraduate student team in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, coached by Communication Studies faculty member Robert Imbody.

The team will host its performance showcase March 28 in the Ferguson Center Ballroom at 7 p.m. in preparation for the American Forensic Association’s National Individual Events Tournament, which will be held in San Marcos, Texas, April 7-9. The showcase will feature six performances by team members and will consist of both original speeches and dramatic interpretations of literature.

“This team has won all but two of the tournaments it has attended this school year,” Imbody said. “We have already won one national championship, and we have our eyes set on one more as the season winds to a close in April. “

For more information on the showcase visit the team’s Twitter page.

Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha National Tournament Results (student’s major and hometown in parentheses on first reference, as some placed in multiple events)

Informative speech

John Brinkerhoff, 2^nd place (political science/communication studies; Birmingham)

Katerina Pena, Top Novice (advertising; Bay City, Texas)

Prose

Thad Fitzpatrick, 1^st place (theater; Tuscaloosa)

Hannah Fowler, 2^nd place (communication studies; Harrisburg, Ill.)

Julia Olienyk, 4^th place (communication studies; Prattville)

Erika Wade, 6^th place (English; Birmingham)

Impromptu speech

Collin Metcalf, 2^nd place (communication studies; Tuscaloosa)

Dexter Strong, 3^rd place (religious studies; Huntsville)

Program Oral Interpretation

Thad Fitzpatrick, 1^st place

Julia Olienyk, 3^rd place

Kelsey Balzli, 4^th place (public relations; Greenwell Springs, La.)

Alexandria Smith, 5^th place (communication studies, Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

Taylor McDonald, 6^th place (communication studies, Prattville)

AC Mitchell, Top Novice (pre-law; Montgomery)

Extemporaneous speech

Collin Metcalf, 1^st place

Valerie Walters, 2^nd place (economics; Mill Creek, Wash.)

Persuasive speech

Collin Metcalf, 1^st place

Kevin Pabst, 2^nd place (communication studies; Niceville, Fla.)

John Brinkerhoff, 3^rd place

Kelsey Balzli, 4^th place

Andrea Dobynes, 6^th place (communication studies; Marion)

Clifton Baker, Top Novice (theater; Tuscaloosa)

Duo

Thad Fitzpatrick and Erika Wade, 1^st place

Erika Wade and Hannah Fowler, 2^nd place

AC Mitchell and Taylor McDonald, 3^rd place

After dinner speech

Julia Olienyk, 1^st place

Kevin Pabst, 2^nd place

Hannah Fowler, 3^rd place

Cassie Rogers-Buchanan, Top Novice (psychology; Anniston)

Dramatic interpretation

Taylor McDonald, 2^nd place

Alexandria Smith, 3^rd place

Clifton Baker, 4^th place

Erika Wade, 5^th place

Katerina Pena, Top Novice

Poetry

Thad Fitzpatrick, 1^st place

Alexandria Smith, 2^nd place

Erika Wade, 5^th place

Taylor McDonald, 6^th place

Critical analysis

Collin Metcalf, 1^st place

Hannah Fowler, 3^rd place

Dexter Strong, 5^th place

Cassie Rogers-Buchanan, Top Novice

Individual sweepstakes (students competing in at least five events)

Thad Fitzpatrick, 1^st place

Collin Metcalf, 2^nd place

Hannah Fowler, 3^rd place

Erika Wade, 4^th place