At the 53 rd annual Michael Dugaw Smelt Classic tournament at Lower Columbia College, the Fighting Smelt speech and debate team completed a dominant wire-to-wire season in the Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC). LCC was named Division III conference champion in speech, conference champion in debate, and was honored as a Gold Medal Program.
The conference, which represents all collegiate speech and debate programs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and northern Utah, honors top programs in multiple competitive divisions, including large public universities, private liberal arts colleges, and community and technical colleges. Though Lower Columbia College belongs to Division III, which represents two-year programs, the Fighting Smelt earned enough cumulative sweepstakes points to qualify as a Gold Medal Program in Division I.
Detailed historical data is not available for every season since the Northwest Forensics Conference was formed in 1983, but conference leaders expressed that this result represents one of the most dominant seasons by a community college speech and debate team in conference history.
The Dugaw Smelt Classic, which took place on Lower Columbia College’s campus from February 13-15, featured 16 colleges and universities with 140 students competing across 14 different speech and debate formats.
The Fighting Smelt saw ten different students advance to elimination rounds in at least one event, including four division champions.
Mara Slabu won the prestigious Shark Trophy. This individual sweepstakes award is presented in honor of LCC alumna Shannon Valdivia, and is given to the top overall individual competitor at the tournament. Slabu earned this award after placing in the top three in impromptu speaking, persuasive speaking, informative speaking, and communication analysis, while also advancing to elimination rounds and being named third speaker in open IPDA debate.
Mercedes Musser was the champion and top speaker in junior IPDA debate, as well as the champion of novice extemporaneous speaking. These results are particularly impressive because the Smelt Classic was Musser’s first career in-person speech and debate tournament.
Covenant Adegbami was the champion of junior program oral interpretation, with a perfect record in the event throughout the tournament. Adegbami was also runner-up in open prose interpretation and finished fourth in junior extemporaneous speaking.
Divaa Nchau was the champion of open persuasive speaking and also finished third in editorial commentary.
Kamren Mattison was the runner up in open persuasive speaking, Mattison also finished fourth in communication analysis and advanced to quarterfinals in open IPDA debate.
Ethan Cooper finished third in junior persuasive speaking, sixth in editorial commentary, sixth in novice extemporaneous speaking, and advanced to the quarterfinal round of novice IPDA debate.
Vickey Chen finished third in junior informative speaking and fourth in junior prose interpretation.
Aiden Tran finished fourth in junior informative speaking, fifth in junior persuasive speaking, sixth in junior impromptu speaking, and advanced to elimination rounds in junior IPDA debate.
Jared Doherty finished fourth in junior impromptu speaking.
Damien Lucero finished seventh in novice impromptu speaking.
Also representing the Fighting Smelt during this NFC season were Rayelynn Camp, Eric Campbell, Alex White, and Ammera Vandolah.
LCC alumni Charlotte Curry (University of Washington), Keidustine Glidden (Lewis and Clark College), and Seamus Mahoney (Eastern Washington University) all earned awards at the Smelt Classic while representing their four-year institutions.
With Director of Forensics Alex Brehm managing the tournament, the team was coached by a group of Lower Columbia College alumni and staff, led by Assistant Director of Forensics Julia Mitchell.
LCC Speech and Debate has just one remaining regional tournament at the University of Washington. Then, the Fighting Smelt will be sending students to the American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament and Phi Rho Pi Nationals in pursuit of one or more national titles.
Contact:
Alex Brehm
Director of Forensics
Communication Studies Instructor
Lower Columbia College