For the first time in the 2020-21 season, the entire Hastings College Forensics team competed together simultaneously. The team competed synchronously at the Hell Froze Over (HFO) Tournament hosted virtually by Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas, on January 16.
Three team members also competed asynchronously January 12-15 for the third Online Asynchronous Tournament Series (OATS) hosted by Southwest Minnesota State University.
The team placed sixth at HFO amongst some of the nation’s top teams, such as George Mason University and the University of Alabama. At OATS 3, the team placed fourth in team sweepstakes.
During the week, the team qualified another event to the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament, which will be held virtually in April. Junior Brendan Kachnowski from Rock Springs, Wyoming, qualified Dramatic Interpretation.
The results from the past week are below.
OATS 3 Results
January 15, 2021
- Sam Johnson, a junior from Hastings, Nebraska, placed second in After Dinner Speaking.
- Brendan Kachnowski, a junior from Rock Springs, Wyoming, placed first in Dramatic Interpretation.
- Courtney Hanson, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota, placed first in Communication Analysis.
The team placed fourth in team sweepstakes.
HFO Results
January 16, 2021
- Ally Banks, a first-year student from Shawnee, Kansas, was a semi-finalist in Poetry Interpretation.
- Nikki DeSeriere, a sophomore from Westminster, Colorado, was a semi-finalist in Prose Interpretation and was next out in Duo Interpretation with senior Courtney Hanson.
- Brendan Kachnowski, a junior from Rock Springs, Wyoming, was a semi-finalist in Poetry Interpretation, placed fourth in Duo Interpretation with senior Isaabella Munoz, and sixth in Program Oral Interpretation.
- Courtney Hanson, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota, was next out in Duo Interpretation with sophomore Nikki DeSeriere, placed fourth in After Dinner Speaking, and second in Program Oral Interpretation.
- Isaabella Munoz, a senior from Worland, Wyoming, was a semi-finalist in Poetry Interpretation and placed fourth in Duo Interpretation with junior Brendan Kachnowski.
The team placed sixth in team sweepstakes.
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 many of the past 10 years. Most recently, Hastings College placed 9th at AFA-NST 2019.
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement, Hastings’ student-centered initiatives include providing books, an iPad and a two-week study away experience at no additional cost. A block-style semester schedule allows professors and students to focus on fewer classes at a time and promotes hands-on experiences. Discover more at hastings.edu.
