Earlier this month, the Hastings College forensics team competed at the Nebraska Intercollegiate Forensics Association’s State Tournament, where the team brought home second place for the third year in a row — with seven students making it to finals in nine events. Ally Banks, a senior from Shawnee, Kansas, was also named the Kevin Heineman Overall Individual Events Champion, an honor for the highest-ranked competitor at the tournament.
Banks was named state champion in After Dinner Speaking and Program of Oral Interpretation, second in Informative Speaking and Poetry Interpretation, and fourth in Prose Interpretation.
Citlaly Quiroz, a senior from Fort Morgan, Colorado, was named state champion in Duo Interpretation with Bri Narick, a first-year student from Bellevue, Nebraska. Quiroz also placed third in Program of Oral Interpretation, sixth in Poetry Interpretation, and was honored with the Spirit of NIFA Award, which recognizes someone who fosters community in Nebraska college forensics.
Emma Kellick, a senior from Casper, Wyoming, placed sixth in After Dinner Speaking and sixth in Impromptu Speaking.
Tymia Thompson, a junior from Nassau, The Bahamas, placed second and was named top novice in Program Oral Interpretation.
In addition to being named state champion in duo with Quiroz, Narick also placed fourth in Program of Oral Interpretation and fifth in Poetry Interpretation.
Matthew Houlihan, a first-year student from Omaha, Nebraska, placed third in Extemporaneous Speaking and seventh in Impromptu Speaking.
Meg Dedic, a first-year student from Auburn, Nebraska, placed sixth and was named top novice in Communication Analysis.
The Hastings College forensics team continues a long-running tradition of national competitive success, placing in the top 20 at the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament (AFA-NST) for the majority of the past 20 years. The team placed 14th at the 2023 AFA-NST.
Current events qualified for AFA-NST, which will be hosted by University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, April 5-8, include:
- Ally Banks, a senior from Shawnee, Kansas, qualified in After Dinner Speaking, Informative Speaking, Poetry Interpretation, Program of Oral Interpretation and Prose Interpretation.
- Citlaly Quiroz, a senior from Fort Morgan, Colorado, qualified in Poetry Interpretation, Prose Interpretation, Informative Speaking, Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation and Program of Oral Interpretation.
- Emma Kellick, a senior from Casper, Wyoming, qualified in After Dinner Speaking and Impromptu Speaking.
- Tymia Thompson, a junior from Nassau, The Bahamas, qualified in Program of Oral Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation.
- Bri Narick, a first-year from Bellevue, Nebraska, qualified in After Dinner Speaking, Poetry Interpretation, Program of Oral Interpretation and Duo Interpretation.
- Matthew Houlihan, a first-year from Omaha, Nebraska, qualified in Informative Speaking, Impromptu Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking.
- Meg Dedic, a first-year from Auburn, Nebraska, qualified in Communication Analysis.
- Ally Goad, a first-year, from Gothenburg, Nebraska qualified in Poetry Interpretation.
- Hailey Gifford, a first-year, from Eagle, Colorado, qualified in After Dinner Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking.
- Lilac Ramsey, a first-year, from Wilson, North Carolina, qualified in Impromptu Speaking and After Dinner Speaking.
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Discover more at hastings.edu.
