Speech & Debate Team Ends Regular Season with Two State Champions
On to National Tournaments in March and April
(LEBANON, Ill., March 10, 2017) — The McKendree University Speech and Debate Team finished its season with two Missouri state championships – Andrew Wagner, a junior
from Waterloo, Ill., in informative speaking and Emma Webster, a senior from Macedonia,
Ill., in communication analysis. The team brought home an additional 27 awards over
its last three tournaments: the Tiger Classic, the Missouri State Tournament and the
Illinois State Tournament.
Thirteen colleges and universities, including Texas Tech University, Carlton College
and Colorado State University, attended the University of Missouri’s Tiger Classic
on Feb. 11-12. Representing McKendree were juniors Alex Baldwin, Beth Graham, Kaitlyn
Hutchison and Gage Simmons; sophomore Adeja Powell; and first-years Virginia Parkinson,
Brad Riedemann and Tyler Timmons.
Baldwin and Simmons advanced to elimination rounds with a 5-2 record. After advancing
in double-octofinals, they finished as octofinalists (in ninth place) after losing
to Rice University. They also finished in second place in the I-70 Cup Sweepstakes,
which includes results from several Midwestern tournaments. Powell won first place
speaker – her third win of the year – while Baldwin took eighth speaker.
Twelve colleges and universities, including Truman State University, the University
of Nebraska, and Simpson College, attended the Missouri State Tournament hosted by
the University of Central Missouri on Feb. 17-18. Representing McKendree were Dylan
Comer, Katie Reining, Taylor Rossi, Alex Baldwin, Kaitlyn Hutchison, Adam Kaul, Andrew
Wagner, Emma Webster, Grace Alexander, Kate Maag, Virginia Parkinson, Brad Riedemann,
Isa Scaturro and Tyler Timmons.
Webster took home the state championship in communication analysis while also placing
second in duo (with Reining), fourth in duo (with Comer) and fourth in prose. Wagner
was the state champion in informative speaking and took fourth place in extemporaneous
speaking. Reining finished second in after dinner speaking, third in persuasion, fifth
in poetry and sixth in communication analysis. Alexander placed second in prose (and
was Top Novice) as well as sixth in impromptu speaking. Rossi took third place in
informative speaking, fourth place in communication analysis and sixth in persuasion.
Finally, Comer finished fifth in programmed oral interpretation, while Maag took sixth
in poetry (and was Top Novice). Webster placed second in individual sweepstakes, while
Reining finished fourth. Riedemann went 3-1 in novice Lincoln-Douglas and finished
as a semifinalist (third place). As a program, McKendree took second place in individual
events sweepstakes, second in limited entry debate sweepstakes, and second place in
overall sweepstakes.
Sixteen colleges and universities, including Bradley University, Northwestern University,
and Illinois State University, attended the Illinois State Tournament, hosted by Northern
Illinois University on March 4-5. Representing McKendree were Katie Reining and Andrew
Wagner. Reining took sixth place in both persuasion and communication analysis, while
Wagner placed seventh in informative speaking. This marks the first time that McKendree
students have advanced to final rounds at the Illinois State Tournament, which is
the most competitive state tournament in the nation.
The team will compete at a series of national tournaments in March and April.
Front row, Virginia Parkinson, Dylan Comer, Grace Alexander, Isa Scaturro, Katie Reining,
Andrew Wagner, Taylor Rossi, Kate Maag, Emma Webster; back row, Tyler Timmons, Brad
Riedemann, Kaitlyn Hutchison, Alex Baldwin and Brett Hanna.
-McK-
