Midland University’s Speech & Debate team earned several top finishes, both individually and as a team, during the Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament March 18-21 at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Midland placed 17th as a team out of 70 schools and placed in the top 10 nationally in a pair of individual events. “It’s the best we’ve finished since I’ve been here as a coach,” Dr. Adam Knowlton, Associate Professor/Director of Forensics, said. “Part of what makes speech unique is that everybody’s event contributes to the overall team score, and top to bottom, our kids were amazing. Everyone on the team scored a point, which is also the first time that has happened since I’ve been here, and that was wonderful to see. At the end of the event, they could all look at the results and be proud.”
Competing against schools of all sizes, including some of the nation’s largest institutions (LSU, Central Florida, TCU), Midland’s ten competitors more than stood their ground against the nation’s best. “You have schools of all sizes competing, and to be able to do as well as we did against some schools ten times our size, was a lot of fun,” Knowlton said.
Individually, senior Yajayra Borrego turned in the highest finish by placing fifth in the Spanish Language Interpretation division. Fellow senior Em Cunningham was seventh in Informative Speaking while also earning a top 24 finish in Program Oral Interpretation.
Junior Eddie Schweikert was a quarterfinalist (top 24) in Editorial Impromptu while also finishing 34th in Interviewing. Juniors Sarah Murray (Dinner Speaking) and Michaela Dooley (Dramatic Interpretation) also earned quarterfinal rankings. Sophomore Kari Van Nostrand rounded out individual placers by finishing 30th in Prose Interpretation. Other competitors for Midland were Ceci Jarvis, Sydnee Wenninghoff, Jenna Pool, and Alex Wright.
The team competes in about 8-10 events throughout the season. Any individual who earns a top six finish at any of those meets qualifies for nationals. Knowlton said the team’s performance at nationals was a fitting end to a great season. “They are the best bunch of students,” he said. “For an individual activity, they all worked together to make this happen. They put in countless hours to represent the university incredibly well, which makes me a very proud and happy coach.”
