The Hillsdale College forensics team won third in its second tournament of the year.
The Sept. 25 competition, held by the Michigan Intercollegiate Speech League, was for novices only. Hillsdale’s team had finalists in three different events.
“We did pretty good,” forensics coach Matthew Warner said. “For half of our folks it was their first tournament, so they primarily observed. We have high hopes for success this year, though.”
Three novices led the team to the third place finish. Freshman Abigail Allen finished third in Informative Speaking and fourth in Impromptu Speaking, and freshman Henry Listenberger finished third in Impromptu Speaking. Sophomore Nathan Steinmeyer finished fourth in Prose Interpretation.
“My favorite part about competing is the adrenaline rush and the feeling you have after you perform your speech really well,” Allen said.
Their first, national competition was at Western Kentucky University.
Despite the small amount of time the teammates spent together, the forensics team learned from each other and bonded as a team.
“Competing in a team, regardless of what team that is, teaches you about your strengths and weaknesses and how well you work with others,” Head of the Forensics Department Kirsten Kiledal said.
The forensics team has continually scored the highest in the country for Limited Preparation and Impromptu Speaking.
“There are few schools that can beat us as a team,” Warner said, “and that has been true for a long time.”
