Shortly after their win at the Texas Shuffle Swing Tournament, TCU Speech and Debate competed in their final regular season competition, the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Forensic Association Championship. The team won all three championship team awards, including Combined Debate and Individual Events Sweepstakes, Individual Events Sweepstakes and Debate Sweepstakes. In addition to several additional awards, Jackson Kaiser was named the Individual Sweepstakes Champion—an award given to the top speaker at the tournament for achievement across multiple speech and debate events.
Six students participated as part of the TCU Speech and Debate team—Chloe Matthews, Ellie Griffin, Jackson Kaiser, Josue Cabrera, Cadence Jones and Arianna LeBlanc. All six students advanced to elimination rounds in debate and received multiple individual speaking awards. TCU Speech & Debate comprised three out of the four varsity debate semi-finalists and took home first and second place in the final round. Next, the team is headed to West Chester, Pennsylvania, for the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament at West Chester University.
TCU Speech and Debate returned to in-person competition this year—with an all-novice team, including students across the university. Headed by Convener of Debates and associate professor Amorette Hinderaker, Ph.D., the team competes throughout the year in public address, oral interpretation, limited preparation speaking, parliamentary debate and public debate.
To learn more about TCU Speech and Debate and follow along with their travels, follow them on Facebook and Twitter @TCUForensics.
See the complete list of awards and winners at the 2023 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Forensic Association Championship below:
Team Awards:
FIRST PLACE – Combined Debate and Individual Events Sweepstakes
FIRST PLACE – Individual Events Sweepstakes
FIRST PLACE – Debate Sweepstakes
Chloe Matthews:
FIRST PLACE – Extemporaneous Speaking
SEMI-FINALIST – Novice IPDA Debate
FOURTH PLACE – Novice IPDA Speaker Award
Ellie Griffin:
FIRST PLACE – Impromptu Speaking
SECOND PLACE – Dramatic Interpretation
QUARTER-FINALIST – Novice IPDA Debate
FIRST PLACE – Novice IPDA Speaker Award
Jackson Kaiser:
FIRST PLACE – Individual Sweepstakes Speaker Award
THIRD PLACE – Impromptu Speaking
FOURTH PLACE – Extemporaneous Speaking
SECOND PLACE – Persuasion
FIRST PLACE – Varsity IPDA Debate
FIRST PLACE – Varsity IPDA Debate Speaker Award
Josue Cabrera:
SECOND PLACE – Impromptu Speaking
SEMI-FINALIST – Varsity IPDA Debate
Cadence Jones:
SECOND PLACE – Varsity IPDA Debate
SECOND PLACE – Extemporaneous Speaking
SECOND PLACE – Informative Speaking
Arianna LeBlanc:
THIRD PLACE – Persuasion
THIRD PLACE – Prose Interpretation
QUARTER-FINALIST – Novice IPDA Debate
FIFTH PLACE – Novice IPDA Speaker Award