Westminster College’s Speech and Debate Society captured multiple state championships and a national team title after strong performances at two major competitions in February and March.

At the Pennsylvania Forensic Association (PFA) State Tournament held Feb. 21-22 at Bloomsburg University, the team’s Readers Theater performance earned first place. The team included Chloe Porter, Stephan Gibson, Ruth Shindledecker, Nathan Barber, Emaline Litwiler, Eliana Toma and Jacob Gaffron. The team also captured third place overall, demonstrating their depth across multiple events. 

Individual accolades highlighted the breadth of talent:

• Stephan Gibson won state championships in the Rhetorical Criticism and Oratorical Declamation categories. Gibson is a sophomore strategic communication and social media major from New Castle, Pa.
• Ruth Shindledecker placed fourth in After Dinner Speaking. Shindledecker is a junior psychology major from Ellwood City, Pa.
• In Duo Interpretation, Gibson and Shindledecker also placed third while Eliana Toma and Emaline Litwiler finished fourth. Toma is a first-year student from Jefferson Hills, Pa., while Litwiler is a first-year psychology and sociology double major from Franklin, Pa.
• Litwiler also won a state championship after placing first in Poetry
• Nathan Barber secured second place in Impromptu Speaking and third place in Extemporaneous Speaking. Barber is a junior biochemistry major from Grove City, Pa.
• Chloe Porter earned third place in both Dramatic Interpretation and Program Oral Interpretation and placed sixth in Poetry Interpretation. Porter is an exchange student from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.
• Jacob Gaffron contributed to the team’s first place Readers Theater performance. Gaffron is a sophomore history major from Irwin, Pa.

Kandice Hartner, a faculty member in Westminster’s School of Communication, who also serves as PFA president, served as a tournament judge.

Other participating institutions included Lafayette College, Bloomsburg University, West Chester University and Grove City College.

“Westminster brought home more state championships this year than in any previous year,” said Dr. Randy Richardson, School of Communication faculty member. “The awards represent hard work and dedication for the past five months. It was a great day to be a Talkin’ Titan!”

Days later, team members competed at Novice Nationals in Rome, Ga., Feb. 27-March 1, hosted by Berry College. Westminster College students Porter, Toma and Litwiler excelled on the national stage, winning first place in Team Sweepstakes, Division 1. 

Outstanding individual performances were delivered by:

• Porter, who was named novice national champion after finishing first in Impromptu Sales and second in Dramatic Interpretation. She also placed fourth in Poetry Interpretation and Program Oral Interpretation categories.
• Toma and Litwiler, who were named novice national champions after capturing first place in Duo Interpretation. Toma also placed fourth in Slam Poetry, while Litwiler placed fifth in Poetry Interpretation.

Hartner and Richardson served as judges for the national competition. Both are advisers to the Speech and Debate Society.

Other participating institutions included the University of Alabama, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and Marshall University.

“Our students’ performances reflect not only their individual talent but also the collaborative spirit that makes Westminster College Speech and Debate Society a powerhouse in both state and national competitions,” said Hartner.

Westminster College’s Speech and Debate Society fosters communication, critical thinking and performance skills, providing students with opportunities to compete at the state and national levels while building confidence and leadership. The students received grant funding from Westminster’s Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research to attend the tournaments.

Westminster College will host the PFA State Tournament Feb. 20-21, 2027.

For more information about Westminster’s Speech and Debate Society, click here or email Hartner at hartnekn@westminster.edu.

Pictured at top, state champions in the Readers Theater category at the Pennsylvania Forensic Association State Tournament. Below, national champions show off their awards at the Novice Nationals tournament.

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By Betsy Fontaine Hildebrand ’92
Betsy Fontaine Hildebrand ’92 is the director of communication in Westminster College's Office of Marketing and Communication.

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