The Boise State Speech and Debate team finished their 2024-25 season at the International Public Debate Association championship tournament, hosted by Lee College in Baytown, Texas, April 4-7. The Talkin’ Broncos were recognized by the association as the second-place overall junior varsity squad and fourth-place overall varsity squad in the nation for the season.
For individual season-long awards, Arianna Ashby (freshman, Idaho Falls) was named third-place overall in junior division wins and fourth-place overall in speaker awards. Cadence Marang (sophomore, Nampa) was named fifth-place overall in novice division wins and third-place overall in speaker awards.
At the tournament competition, Ashby led the Talkin’ Broncos with a semi-finalist finish in junior division. Allie Hampton (junior, Meridian) finished as an octo-finalist in varsity division. Bridget Gibson (sophomore, Boise) and Ryan Wind (sophomore, Meridian) both finished as octo-finalists in junior division, with Marang finishing as an octo-finalists in novice division. Anthony Thomas (junior, Meridian) finished as a double octo-finalist in varsity division. Jaxon Holmes (sophomore, Garden City) finished as a double octo-finalist in junior division and won the fourth-place speaker award. Adam Pendergrass (sophomore, Nampa) won the ninth-place speaker award in varsity division.
In team public debate, Gibson and Holmes finished as octo-finalists, with the teams of Pendergrass and Hampton, Ashby and Marang, Chloe Sellers (junior, Twin Falls) and Thomas, and Ivan Markevych (sophomore, Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Ukraine) and Sam Kleman (sophomore, Boise) all finishing as double octo-finalists.
The Talkin’ Broncos are supported in part through the generosity of the Jeker Family Trust. For more information about the Talkin’ Broncos, contact Manda Hicks, director of forensics at Boise State at mandahicks@boisestate.edu.