LCC Speech & Debate Opens Conference Season with Strong Showing

The Lower Columbia College Fighting Smelt Speech & Debate Team finished 4^th place in 2-year college sweepstakes at the Steve Hunt Classic tournament hosted by Lewis & Clark College. This was the second tournament of the year for the Fighting Smelt, and it also kicked off the Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC) season.

This result shows that LCC stacks up favorably against other community college programs in the conference, which represents schools in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Alaska.

The team result was led by second-year student Charlotte Curry, a running start student who also attends Mark Morris High School. In her speech events, Curry finished fourth in junior informative speaking and seventh in junior extemporaneous speaking. In debate, Curry advanced to the octofinal round and was named fifth speaker in junior IPDA.

Seamus Mahoney finished fourth in novice persuasive speaking. Mahoney also advanced to the octofinal round and was named eighth speaker in novice IPDA debate.

Keida Patterson placed fifth in novice persuasive speaking.

Also representing the Fighting Smelt at the tournament were LCC students Xavier Moore, Elliott Chong, Lukas Krutz, Atilla Elik, and Kaylee Potts. The squad received coaching support from program alumni Mitchell Levy (class of 2020), Rebecca Pickner (’18), Alayna Tovar (’21), and Molly Mahoney (’21), as well as LCC faculty Alex Brehm and Larissa Arnold.

Next up for LCC Speech and Debate is the McPherson Classic hosted by Whitworth University the weekend of October 28-29.

Contact:Alex BrehmDirector of ForensicsCommunication Studies InstructorLower Columbia College
abrehm@lowercolumbia.edu

(360) 442-2670