Pictured left to right: Savannah Wakeman, Isaac Adams, Kedrick Glinski, Miya Ingram, Hannah George
Last month, NNU’s speech and debate team excelled at two national tournaments. The team traveled to the University of Central Florida for the Pi Kappa Delta (PKD) National Tournament March 10-13 and competed asynchronously in the National Christian College Forensics Invitational (NCCFI), hosted by Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.
At the PKD tournament, the team finished 28th out of 69 other colleges and universities from across the country, including several large Division I programs. At NCCFI, the team swept the interpretive and platform events, earning an overall second-place finish among Division II Christian universities.
“It is always affirming to see the hard work and dedication pay off on a national scale,” said Brooke Adamson, professor of Communication Studies and coach of NNU’s Forensic team. “I am so proud of each and every one of the students on the team. Not only is NNU recognized as having some of the best competitors in the nation, but they also show the love of Christ wherever they go, fulfilling the mission of this team and university.”
In a standout performance at the PKD tournament, senior Kedrick Glinski was named National Champion in the Extemporaneous Commentary event. Junior Savannah Wakeman was named among the top eight debaters in the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) debate. Freshman Miya Ingram was awarded the Showcase honor in Programmed Oral Interpretation and Glinski, Wakeman and Ingram won five combined “Excellent” awards in various other categories.
“It was a huge deal to compete—and place—against Division I schools like the University of Alabama and the University of Central Florida,” Wakeman said. “I'm so honored to be able to meet talented competitors from across the country and so proud of everyone on the team.”
At NCCFI, Ingram won the interpretation event, with sophomore Isaac Adams taking second, freshman Rhianna Soft in third and junior Chloe Bowen in sixth place. Wakeman won the platform event, followed by Soft in second and junior Hannah George in third place.
NNU’s 2021-2022 forensic team is coached by Brooke Adamson, assisted by Autumn Tustin. For updates on NNU Speech and Debate, be sure to follow their Facebook page.