Fourteen WKU Forensic team members traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to take part in two tournaments hosted by Ohio State University and Otterbein University the weekend of Dec. 2-4.

WKU was crowned sweepstakes champion at the Otterbein tournament, hosted on Sunday, as well as second in sweepstakes at the OSU tournament on Saturday. Also, all WKU students advanced to elimination rounds in at least one event. Other placing schools included Rice University, Tennessee State University, Eastern Michigan University and Truman State University.

The Ohio tournaments were the team’s last competition of the semester. The WKU team will resume competing on Jan. 21 at the American Forensic Association District Six Qualifier, hosted by The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

While roughly a third of the WKU team competed in Ohio, the rest of the WKU forensic students and coaches hosted a junior high tournament on campus Saturday. Nearly 200 fourth through eighth grade students competed on campus during the one-day Junior Hilltopper Classic.

This weekend, the team will host high school students from all over the country at the annual Hilltopper Classic speech and debate tournament. Approximately 450 students will participate in the two-day competition on WKU’s campus.

Results from the Ohio State & Otterbein College “Holiday Frolic” Speech and Debate Tournaments are as follows:

• Celena Allen, a senior from Hayward, Calif., tournament champion in prose interpretation, tournament champion in after-dinner speaking and second in poetry interpretation in the Otterbein portion; third in poetry interpretation and fourth in after-dinner speaking in the OSU portion.
• Alexander Wozencraft, a senior from Tulsa, Okla., tournament champion in poetry interpretation and tournament champion in dramatic interpretation in the OSU portion; tournament champion in poetry interpretation and second in dramatic interpretation in the Otterbein portion.
• Susan Taylor, a junior from Kansas City, Mo., tournament champion in informative speaking and third in impromptu speaking in the Otterbein portion; second in informative speaking in the OSU portion.
• Tyler Prochazka, a freshman from Newton, Kan., tournament champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate and fifth debate speaker in the OSU portion; fifth in extemporaneous speaking and octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the Otterbein portion.
• Matt Whitman, a senior from Austin, Texas, tournament champion in extemporaneous speaking and fifth in impromptu speaking in the OSU portion; second in extemporaneous speaking and octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the Otterbein portion.
• Alexis Elliott, a sophomore from Kansas City, Mo., top debate speaker, semifinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate and fourth in impromptu speaking in the Otterbein portion; second debate speaker, semifinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate, and sixth in impromptu speaking in the OSU portion.
• Spencer Orlowski, a sophomore from Davie, Fla., top debate speaker, fourth in informative speaking, and octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the OSU portion; fourth in informative speaking and quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the Otterbein portion.
• Liz Courtney, a senior from San Antonio, Texas, second in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the OSU portion; octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the Otterbein portion.
• Frank Murdock, a senior from Kingston, Wash., second in Lincoln-Douglas debate and second in impromptu speaking in the Otterbein portion; octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the OSU portion.
• John Corum, a freshman from Auburn, second novice debate speaker and quarterfinalist in novice Lincoln-Douglas debate in the OSU portion.
• Jamaque Newberry, a freshman from Tamarac, Fla., third in poetry interpretation and third in dramatic interpretation in the Otterbein portion; fourth in dramatic interpretation in the OSU portion.
• Mitchell Grogg, a junior from Evansville, Ind., fourth in extemporaneous speaking in the OSU portion; fifth in impromptu speaking in the Otterbein portion.
• Nefertiti Dukes, a freshman from Miami Gardens, Fla., octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate in the Otterbein portion.

Contact: Jace Lux, (270) 745-6340.