The Hastings College Forensics team competed synchronously at the Nebraska Intercollegiate Forensics Association (NIFA) State Tournament on February 13, placing third in overall team sweepstakes. Two students were named state champions in their events, two first-year students were awarded Top Novice, and senior Courtney Hanson was named one of the Spirit of NIFA award recipients.
Samantha Burke, a senior from Denver, Colorado, was named state champion in Informative Speaking, and Ally Banks, a first-year student from Shawnee, Kansas, was named champion and awarded Top Novice in After Dinner Speaking.
Jacob Stulken, a first-year student from Doniphan, Nebraska, was awarded Top Novice in Prose Interpretation.
The Spirit of NIFA award is presented to forensics students representing the kindness, passion and love the Nebraska collegiate forensics circuit prides itself on. In addition to receiving the award, Hanson, of Brookings, South Dakota, placed third in the individual sweepstakes.
The team also competed asynchronously February 8-12 in the fifth Online Asynchronous Tournament Series (OATS 5) hosted by Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota.
Throughout the week, the team found several successes, including placing fourth in team sweepstakes against 32 teams at OATS 5 and qualifying two new events to the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament (AFA-NST) that will be held virtually in April. Senior Samantha Burke from Denver, Colorado, qualified Program Oral Interpretation and junior Brendan Kachnowski from Rock Springs, Wyoming, and sophomore Nikki DeSeriere from Westminster, Colorado, qualified their Duo Interpretation.
The results from both tournaments are below.
OATS 5
February 12, 2020
- Jeremiah Cox, a first-year student from Chaska, Minnesota, placed fifth in Impromptu Speaking.
- Brooklyn Elwood, a first-year student from Sutherland, Nebraska, placed fifth in Dramatic Interpretation.
- Nikki DeSeriere, a sophomore from Westminster, Colorado, placed second in Duo Interpretation with junior Brendan Kachnowski.
- Brendan Kachnowski, a junior from Rock Springs, Wyoming, placed second in Duo Interpretation with sophomore Nikki DeSeriere.
- Samantha Burke, a senior from Denver, Colorado, placed first in Program Oral Interpretation.
The team placed fourth in team sweepstakes.
Nebraska Intercollegiate Forensics Association
February 13, 2020
- Ally Banks, a first-year student from Shawnee, Kansas, placed first and was awarded Top Novice in After Dinner Speaking.
- Jacob Stulken, a first-year student from Doniphan, Nebraska, was awarded Top Novice in Prose Interpretation.
- Nikki DeSeriere, a sophomore from Westminster, Colorado, placed sixth in Duo Interpretation with senior Courtney Hanson and fourth in Prose Interpretation.
- Sam Johnson, a junior from Hastings, Nebraska, placed sixth in After Dinner Speaking.
- Brendan Kachnowski, a junior from Rock Springs, Wyoming, placed fifth in Duo Interpretation with senior Isaabella Robbins and sixth in Program Oral Interpretation.
- Samantha Burke, a senior from Denver, Colorado, placed first in Informative Speaking and fourth in Program Oral Interpretation.
- Courtney Hanson, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota, placed second in After Dinner Speaking, fifth in Communication Analysis, sixth in Duo Interpretation with sophomore Nikki DeSeriere, and third in Prose Interpretation. She also placed third in Individual Sweepstakes and was named one of the “Spirit of NIFA” award recipients.
- Isaabella Robbins, a senior from Worland, Wyoming, placed fifth in Duo Interpretation with junior Brendan Kachnowski and fifth in Program Oral Interpretation.
The team placed third 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.
