Skip to main content

Westminster Student Speakers Earn National Championships

Share on:

Posted on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Two members of the recently formed Westminster Speech & Debate Society competed in the Novice National Forensics Tournament, March 9-11 at Suffolk University in Boston. Sophomore English Julie Yesko and senior communication studies major Christian Na represented Westminster in a field of 25 colleges and universities from across the country.

The Novice National Forensics Tournament provides a competition venue for students in their first year of intercollegiate speech activity. After three days of grueling competition, the Titan two brought home four national championships and a total of seven national awards! Their combined efforts earned Westminster the National Championship in President’s Division III, which compares teams with similar-sized tournament entries.

The pair teamed together for the national championship in Dramatic Duo Interpretation, performing an excerpt from a new play by Duncan Macmillan entitled “Lungs.” In single events, Christian earned the national championship in Slam Poetry with an original work called “Into Elysium,” a poem dedicated to his grandfather. He placed second in Prose Interpretation reading a short story by David James Poissant, “100% Cotton.” He finished fourth in After-Dinner Speaking with a speech about “Amerihate,”- our nation’s international image crisis. Christian’s incredible work earned him honors as the tournament’s top speaker, the national champion in Pentathlon!

When compared with the overall field of 25, Westminster’s “team of two” placed eighth- finishing just behind Bowling Green State University, Minnesota State University and the University of Indianapolis, and ahead of such powers as the University of Florida, Butler University, Rutgers University and Emerson College. A complete listing of the tournament’s top 10 follows.

1. Berry College                                            President’s Division III (top 5)

2. College of Dupage                                      1. Westminster College

3. Carson Newman University                        2. University of Florida

4. Lafayette College                                        3. Fullerton College (CA)

5. University of Indianapolis                            4. Tulane University

6. Minnesota State University                         5. Grove City College

7. Bowling Green State University

8. Westminster College

9. University of Florida

10. University of West Florida

Written by Dr. Randy Richardson