Alabama Forensic Council Wins 24th National Championship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama Forensic Council, The University of Alabama’s competitive speech team, recently competed in five national tournaments and brought home its 24th team national championship and nine individual event national championships among other awards.

During March, AFC attended the Novice National Forensic Association’s 40th Annual Novice National Tournament; International Forensics Association Tournament in Tokyo, Japan; Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament; National Online Forensics Championship; and Asynchronous Speech Championship.

After completing five of their six total national tournaments this season, the team won more than 100 awards. Most notably, AFC won the national championship in Team Individual Events Sweepstakes at the Novice National Tournament.

“Our team worked hard all season, and this 24th national title reflects the process every member of our team embraces to reflect a championship mindset as people, students and competitors,” said Dr. Ben Pyle, director of the Alabama Forensic Council. “With our first-year competitors bringing home such a fantastic win, I know our program will continue to excel in the years to come.”

Students won nine individual event national championships in duo interpretation, extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking, persuasive speaking, poetry interpretation, prose interpretation, rhetorical criticism, slam poetry and individual sweepstakes.

The AFC is the oldest co-curricular organization on campus and aims to respect and build upon the successes of alumni and forge a path for current and future students. AFC provides students with skills and resources to engage in intellectual discovery, enable professional development, strengthen and utilize their unique voices, construct compelling messages, engage in interpersonal and rhetorical exploration, and foster community through advocacy and argumentation.