The Boise State Speech and Debate team continued their 2022 national season with second-place overall sweepstakes at the 54th Biennial Pi Kappa Delta National Championship Tournament at University of Central Florida in Orlando, March 10-14. The tournament included competitors from University of Alabama, Morehouse College, Cornell University, Minnesota State University – Mankato, Rice University, and Penn State. The Talkin’ Broncos took first-place in individual events sweepstakes, second-place in debate sweepstakes, and second-place in overall sweepstakes. Boise State had two of the tournament’s ten All-American awards, with both Brianna Ellison (junior, Eagle) and Edson Valdisimo (senior, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) recognized with Pi Kappa Delta’s highest student honor. Boise State also had the overall top Oral History submission, produced by Dylan Pope (junior, Blackfoot).
In International Public Debate, Sara Beck (sophomore, Idaho Falls) advanced to elimination rounds and finished as a semi-finalist. In Public Forum Debate, Boise State advanced two teams to elimination rounds, with the teams of Madison Martin (senior, Oceanside, California) and Kate Jacobson (junior, Boise) and Brian Del Toro (senior, Boise) and Pope finishing as quarter-finalists.
In Individual Events, Boise State competitors dominated the Spanish Language events, with Del Toro taking first-place overall in Spanish language public address and Israel Ceja (junior, Hailey) taking first-place overall in Spanish language impromptu. In Spanish language interpretation of literature, Alma Ceja (senior, Hailey) received a Superior Award and Gabe Guerrero (senior, Shelly) received an Excellent Award. Sergio Sarmiento (senior, Nampa) received an Excellent Award in Spanish language impromptu.
Other top awards went to: Martin, who took third-place overall in after-dinner speaking and received Excellent Awards in program oral interpretation, prose interpretation, and broadcast journalism; Zac Maggard (senior, Nampa), who took third-place overall in broadcast journalism and received an Excellent Award in extemporaneous speaking; Valdisimo, who received a Superior Award in impromptu speaking and Excellent Awards in both duo interpretation and poetry interpretation; Beck, who received a Superior Award in impromptu speaking and Excellent Awards in extemporaneous speaking and interview; Guerrero, who received a Superior Award in impromptu speaking and an Excellent Award in after-dinner speaking; Ceja, who received Excellent Awards in prose interpretation, duo interpretation, poetry interpretation, and discussion; Julia Maas (senior, Meridian), who received Excellent Awards in after-dinner speaking, impromptu speaking, and informative speaking; Pope, who received an Excellent Award in communication analysis; Ethan Romriell (senior, Mineola, New York), who received an Excellent Award in prose interpretation; and Sarmiento, who received an Excellent Award in after-dinner speaking.
The Talkin’ Broncos will next attend the International Public Debate Championship, hosted by Abilene Christian University April 8-12 in Abilene, Texas. The Jeker Family Trust generously supports the Talkin’ Broncos in part. For more information about the Talkin’ Broncos, contact Dr. Manda Hicks, director of forensics at Boise State at mandahicks@boisestate.edu.