The Hastings College forensics team had successful consecutive weekends at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Kansas State University, respectively. Over the weekends, the team qualified six more events for the American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET) in April.
The team first traveled to UNL for the Big 10 Conference tournament January 20-21 and the Great Plains Athletic Conference challenge on January 21. The Broncos earned third place for team sweepstakes on the first day of the tournament and were honored as the 2018 GPAC Forensics Champions on the final day of the tournament.
The following weekend the team competed at the Nebraska in Kansas tournament co-hosted by KSU and UNL January 27-28. The Broncos earned first place for three events and won third place in team sweepstakes the first day of the tournament.
The Hastings College forensics team competes again February 4-5 at the Monumental Swing at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
Individual results from the Big 10 Conference and Nebraska in Kansas tournaments are below:
January 20 (Big 10 Conference Tournament Day 1)
- Courtney Hanson, a first year student from Brookings, South Dakota, placed seventh in After Dinner Speaking.
- Samantha Burke, a first year student from Denver, Colorado, placed sixth in After Dinner Speaking.
- Melissa Loney, a sophomore from Omaha, Nebraska, placed first in Communication Analysis and sixth in Impromptu Speaking.
- Jadah Morrison, a sophomore from Chaska, Minnesota, placed seventh in Dramatic Interpretation.
- Nathan Navratil, a sophomore from Lino Lakes, placed fifth in Program Oral Interpretation.
- Alli Kennon, a sophomore from Lakeville, Minnesota, placed second in Poetry Interpretation.
- Carly Spotts-Falzone, a sophomore from Plymouth, Minnesota, placed second in Dramatic Interpretation and first in Duo Interpretation with Caleb Merritt, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota.
- Caleb Merritt, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota, placed first in Dramatic Interpretation and first in Duo Interpretation with Carly Spotts-Falzone, a junior from Plymouth, Minnesota.
- Kenzie Shofner, a senior from Orono, Minnesota, placed second in Impromptu Speaking and fifth in After Dinner Speaking.
- Andrew Boge, a senior from Johnston, Iowa, placed fifth in Impromptu Speaking. Third team sweepstakes
January 21 (Big 10 Conference Tournament Day 2)
- Melissa Loney, a sophomore from Omaha, Nebraska, placed sixth in Communication Analysis.
- Nathan Navratil, a sophomore from Lino Lakes, placed first in Program Oral Interpretation.
- Alli Kennon, a sophomore from Lakeville, Minnesota, placed fifth in Poetry Interpretation.
- Carly Spotts-Falzone, a sophomore from Plymouth, Minnesota, placed second in Duo Interpretation with Caleb Merritt, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota.
- Caleb Merritt, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota, placed first in Dramatic Interpretation and second in Duo Interpretation with Carly Spotts-Falzone, a junior from Plymouth, Minnesota.
January 27 (Nebraska in Kansas Day 1)
- Maggie Rogers, a first year student from Birmingham, Alabama, placed first in Program Oral Interpretation.
- Derek Moine, a first year student from Arapahoe, Nebraska, placed third in Dramatic Interpretation.
- Brook McCurdy, a sophomore from Hastings, Nebraska, placed third in Extemporaneous Speaking.
- Kenzie Shofner, a senior from Orono, Minnesota, placed first in Impromptu Speaking and third in After Dinner Speaking.
- Andrew Boge, a senior from Johnston, Iowa, placed first in Dramatic Interpretation and second in Impromptu Speaking.
January 28 (Nebraska in Kansas Day 2)
- Daniel Trevithick, a first year student from Denver, Colorado, placed fourth in Program Oral Interpretation and fifth in Impromptu Speaking.
- Derek Moine, a first year student from Arapahoe, Nebraska, placed fifth in Communication Analysis.
- Brook McCurdy, a sophomore from Hastings, Nebraska, placed fourth in Extemporaneous Speaking.
- Kenzie Shofner, a senior from Orono, Minnesota, placed fifth in After Dinner Speaking.
The Hastings College forensics team continues a long-running tradition of national competitive success, placing in the top 20 at AFA-NIET for many of the past ten years. Most recently, Hastings College placed 12th at AFA-NIET 2017.
Hastings College is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. With 64 majors and 15 pre-professional programs, Hastings College has been named among “Great Schools, Great Prices” by U.S. News & World Report and a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
