The Lower Columbia College Fighting Smelt Speech & Debate Team opened the Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC) season with a historic result at the Steve Hunt Classic tournament, hosted by Lewis and Clark College. In addition to winning first place in the 2-year college division in speech, debate, and overall sweepstakes, LCC finished third place overall among the 38 colleges and universities in the field. This is the first time in the history of the Steve Hunt Classic that a community college has placed among the top three teams.
This result at the large and highly competitive early-season tournament establishes LCC as an early favorite for several season-long NFC awards.
This unprecedented result was a true team effort, with seven different students winning at least one award.
Mara Slabu led the team in sweepstakes points. Slabu finished second in junior impromptu speaking, third in junior persuasive speaking, third in junior informative speaking, sixth in open editorial commentary, and advanced to the semifinal round of open IPDA debate.
Covenant Adegbami was the champion of novice editorial commentary, third place in novice prose interpretation, fourth place in novice extemporaneous speaking, fifth place in novice impromptu speaking, and an octofinalist in novice IPDA debate.
Kamren Mattison was the champion of novice impromptu speaking and the runner-up in novice editorial commentary.
Jared Doherty finished second in novice impromptu speaking and third in junior editorial commentary.
Aiden Tran placed third in novice editorial commentary, fourth in novice informative
speaking, and advanced to octofinals in novice IPDA debate.
Competing at her first career tournament, Vickey Chen finished sixth place in novice extemporaneous speaking.
Rayelynn Camp finished second place among novice competitors in prose interpretation.
The squad received coaching support from program alumni Julia Mitchell, My Ta, Adah Moore, and Rebecca Pickner, as well as LCC faculty and staff Kailie Drumm, Larissa Arnold, and Alexander Ivory-Brown.
Next up for LCC Speech and Debate is the McPherson Classic tournament, hosted by Whitworth University, the weekend of November 25-26.
Contact:
Alex Brehm
Director of Forensics
Communication Studies Instructor
Lower Columbia College
abrehm@lowercolumbia.edu
(360) 442-2670