After a weekend of strong performances, Hillsdale College’s individual events speech team rolled in from a double header at 1 a.m. Monday, and the debate team returned three hours later.
In two Illinois tournaments, the individual events team contended with some of the best, with a student placing in the finals. Debate students finished second at a Lincoln-Douglas competition at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, where five qualified for the national competition in April.
For individual events, junior Mary Blendermann took fifth overall at Illinois State University’s invitational Saturday.
Blendermann competed in the program of oral interpretation. Each round required students to deliver a dramatic presentation based on selections of poetry, prose, or drama.
“I would have liked to have placed higher than fifth, but to break to finals is certainly an accomplishment,” she said.
For the first competition of the year, individual events coach Matthew Warner said he chose Illinois’ tournament because it had the “steepest competition.”
Warner said Blendermann’s participation in the finals was a win for the team, even though it didn’t place overall.
The team then traveled 50 miles on Sunday for a second competition at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, where Blendermann excelled in informative speaking, taking third.
The team faced students from Western Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, and Ball State universities.
“They are superb forensics teams that are always competitive for the national championship,” Warner said.
The debate team competed Saturday and Sunday in Easton, Pennsylvania, placing second in debate sweepstakes. It gave strong performances, several of which came from students who had never competed for Hillsdale before. Six students advanced to elimination rounds.
Following the tournament, almost all of Hillsdale’s students had qualified for the national competition, and the whole team could be eligible soon, said Matthew Doggett, assistant professor of rhetoric and public address and debate coach.
Senior Graham Deese, the team’s manager, and freshman Lucy Meckler particiapted in the open competition. Meckler took third place in her first college tournament.
“In open, I advanced to the octofinal round, and Lucy won two elimination rounds to advance to the semifinals,” Deese said. “In her quarterfinal round, Lucy defeated Damon Brown from Western Kentucky, who placed second at nationals last year.”
In his first competition, sophomore Sam Racioppi took the title of first novice speaker, though he didn’t participate in the tournament’s final round. Freshmen Brigid Majmudar and Rowan Macwan closed out the finals, receiving fourth and fifth novice speaker awards. Freshman Kathleen Hancock advanced to the elimination rounds, as well.
The debate team also competed against Western Kentucky, along with California State, Pennsylvania State, and Central Michigan universities.
“I did my best,” Macwan said. “I was exhausted yet satisfied with my performance, which made it worth it.”