Debate Team Wins State Championship At Southern Regional Forensics Tournament (1/31/12)

MONTICELLO, AR — The forensics and debate team from the University of Arkansas at Monticello captured the overall Arkansas championship of the Southern Regional Forensics Tournament held last week at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
            UAM won the Arkansas championship in competition with teams from Harding, the University of Central Arkansas, Arkansas Tech, John Brown, Henderson State, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
            UAM won 30 awards to earn second place in the overall forensics sweepstakes competition, led by Sydney Davis, who won the Arkansas state championship in overall sweepstakes and the Arkansas championship in both program oral interpretation and impromptu speaking. A sophomore creative writing major from Bentonville, Davis won five awards – sixth place in extemporaneous speaking, third place in persuasion, second place in poetry, second place in after-dinner speaking, and third place individual forensics sweepstakes.
            In the team competition in the International Public Debate Association category, UAM won five awards. Chris Brown and Kelly Reed of Siloam Springs reached the semifinals of IPDA team debate. Reed, a junior political science major, was named the Arkansas state champion and earned the second place individual speaker award. Brown, a senior communication major, won third place speaker award.
            The teams of Bobby Evans, a junior animal science major from Memphis, and Liz Borse, a junior art major from Monticello; and Tiffany Tucker, a senior education major from Cabot, and Justin Walker, a senior computer information systems major from Watson, reached the quarterfinals in team debate.
            UAM students won four awards in individual debate. Tiffany Tucker reached the quarterfinals in the varsity division while Walker and Jaime Ward, a senior criminal justice major from Pocahontas,  reached the round of 16. In the professional division, graduate student Zack Tucker from Marked Tree also reached the final 16.
            Other UAM students competing were Jessica Pennington, a junior communication major from Crossett, Meg Ryan, a senior speech communication major from Camden, Maggie Parish, a sophomore English major from Pine Bluff, Samantha Montgomery, a sophomore political science major from Woodlawn, and Anastasia Duff, a senior communications major, from Dermott. UAM graduate Yvonne Hinshaw of Monticello also competed.            
            The UAM forensics and debate team was scheduled to compete at the Pussy Cat Swing, hosted by Sam Houston State University February 2-5.

PHOTO CAPTION: Members of the UAM forensics and debate team are (from left, first row) Chase Roan, Anastasia Duff, Tiffany Tucker, Sydney Davis, Meg Ryan, Sam Montgomery, (second row) Jamie Ward, Jon Hoskins, Bobby Evans, Maggie Parrish, and Jessica Pennington.