The Pi Kappa Delta National Championship Boise State Speech and Debate team started their 2018-2019 season with their eighth consecutive tournament championship at the Steve Hunt Invitational hosted by Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, Oct. 12-14.
The Talkin’ Broncos won first place in Overall Sweepstakes at the tournament. The tournament included competitors from Berkeley, Rice University, Texas Tech University, University of Oregon, Minnesota State University, William Jewel College, Utah State University, Northwest College, Pacific University, Whitman University, Whitworth University and College of Idaho.
“This is one of the largest comprehensive speech and debate tournaments in the Northwest” said Manda Hicks, director of forensics. “To see this kind of success from such a young team means a lot. Our veterans are at an amazing place in terms of their talent, experience and competitive performance and our new team members are right there alongside them.”
In Junior Public Debate, Kevin Trombly (junior, Boise) was the tournament champion, advancing through three single elimination outrounds and winning finals on a 2-1 decision. Trombly received the third place speaker award.
In British Parliamentary Debate, the team of Janice Witherspoon (senior, Caldwell) and Kortni Clements (senior, Meridian) advanced to outrounds and finished as quarter-finalists. Out of a field of 56 competitors, Witherspoon received the sixth place speaker award.
In Open Public Debate, Zach Hill (junior, Kuna), Tate Volbrecht (sophomore, Billings, Montana), and Connor Johnson (junior, Billings, Montana) finished as quarter-finalists with Hill receiving the first place speaker award, Volbrecht receiving the second place speaker award, and Johnson receiving the 10th place speaker award. Andrew Castro (senior, White Plains, New York) finished as a quarter-finalist. Sam Haskell (senior, Tacoma, Washington) received the eighth place speaker award.
In Junior Public Debate, Boise State received five of the top 10 speaker awards with Brian Del Toro (freshman, Boise) receiving the first place speaker award and finishing as an octo-finalist; Eddy Encinas (junior, Jerome) receiving the second place speaker award and finishing as a quarter-finalist; and Emma Freitas (freshman, Nampa) receiving the fourth place speaker award and finishing as an octo-finalist. Julia Maas (freshman, Eagle) received the 10th place speaker award.
In Novice Public Debate, Cailey Rankin (senior, Bonner’s Ferry) advanced through two single elimination outrounds and finished as a semi-finalist. Ethan Romriell (freshman, Pocatello) received the sixth place speaker award.
In Individual Events, Haskell led the Talkin’ Broncos with three first place awards in after dinner speaking, poetry interpretation and duo interpretation. Haskell received the second place overall sweepstakes award in individual events. Jamie Mass (senior, Meridian) took first place in both persuasive speaking and extemporaneous speaking, third place in informative speaking, fourth place in impromptu speaking and was third place overall in individual event sweepstakes.
Asia Miller (senior, Green River, Wyoming) took first place in duo interpretation and sixth place in poetry interpretation. Volbrecht took first place in communication analysis. Witherspoon took second place in impromptu speaking, third place in both dramatic interpretation and after dinner speaking, and fifth place in program oral interpretation. Witherspoon took fourth place overall in individual event sweepstakes.
Other top competitors included: Castro, who took second place in both duo interpretation and poetry interpretation; Ximena Bustillo (junior, Nampa), who took second place in after dinner speaking and fourth place in communication analysis; Rankin, who took second place in novice prose interpretation, third place in novice impromptu speaking, and fourth place in novice informative speaking; Trombly, who took second place in junior impromptu speaking and sixth third place in junior extemporaneous speaking; Julia Maas, who took second place in junior impromptu speaking and sixth place in after dinner speaking; Romriell, who took second place in duo interpretation; Del Toro, who took second place in junior extemporaneous speaking; Jack McKinney (freshman, Idaho Falls), who took third place in junior extemporaneous speaking; Clements, who took fourth place in prose interpretation, fifth place in persuasive speaking, and sixth place in informative speaking; Hill, who took fourth place in persuasive speaking and sixth place in extemporaneous speaking; Gabe Guerrero (freshman, Shelley), who took fourth place in novice impromptu speaking; Kaitlyn Rogers (senior, Boise), who took fifth place in prose interpretation, and sixth place in both persuasive speaking and communication analysis; Johnson, who took sixth place in impromptu speaking; and Izanna Stoddard (junior, Boise), who took sixth place in junior impromptu speaking.
The tournament recognized top novice and junior competitors in collapsed events: Bianca Hanson (junior, Powell, Wyoming) was named the top junior competitor in persuasive speaking; Freitas was named the top junior competitor in prose interpretation; and Julia Maas was named the top novice competitor in after dinner speaking.
The Talkin’ Broncos continue their 2018 2019 season with their second conference tournament, the 88th Annual Mahaffey Memorial Tournament, hosted by Linfield College in McMinville, Oregon. The Talkin’ Broncos are the 2017 2018 Pi Kappa Delta National Champions in Speech and Debate and are supported in part through the Jeker Family Trust. For more information about the Talkin’ Broncos, contact Manda Hicks, director of forensics at Boise State, at mandahicks@boisestate.edu.