ISSUED: 27 March 2017
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Shepherd University Debate and Forensics Team is celebrating a successful year after winning first place in Team Debate and second place in Individual Events and Team Sweepstakes at the West Virginia Intercollegiate Forensics Association State Tournament held February 25-26 in Fairmont. The team also took second place in Team Sweepstakes at the College Forensics Association (CFA) year-end tournament March 3-4 in Ocean City, Maryland, and four team members placed 15th in the country at the National Novice Tournament in Pensacola, Florida, March 10-12.
Sam Brown, Harpers Ferry; Lauren Duckworth, Kingwood; Katie Zakrzewski, Berkeley Springs; and Casey Feezle, Augusta, competed in the National Novice Tournament in Florida. Brown was named the number one parliamentary speaker in the country and Feezle came in second. In addition, Feezle placed sixth in extemporaneous speaking.
W.Va. Intercollegiate Forensics Association Tournament
Winners at the state tournament were Garrett Spiker, Bunker Hill, second place IPDA debate, third place in the categories of IDBA speaker points, improvisational duo, and impromptu, and fourth place in public address; Casey Feezle, second place in both improvisational duo and public address, third in IPDA debate, fourth in dramatic duo, and fifth in the categories of IPDA speaker points, extemporaneous speaking, and after dinner speaking; David Bennett, Hedgesville, took second place in extemporaneous speaking, fourth in IPDA debate, fifth in dramatic duo, and sixth in persuasive speaking; Sam Brown, won first place in Lincoln-Douglas debate, second in improvisational duo, third in both Lincoln-Douglas debate speaker points and rhetorical criticism, fourth in both dramatic duo and broadcasting, and sixth in pentathlon; Madison Ronevich, Martinsburg, fifth place in Lincoln-Douglas debate speaker points; Meredith Blady, Martinsburg, fifth place in poetry and fourth in dramatic interpretation; Will Wheatley, Harpers Ferry, first place in informative speaking, and sixth in both extemporaneous speaking and impromptu speaking; Maggie Nevin, Martinsburg, third place in improvisational duo, fourth in poetry, and fifth in interpretation prose; Desiree Rose, Hedgesville, fifth place in persuasive speaking; Katie Zakrzewski, third and fifth place in dramatic duo, fifth in dramatic interpretation, and sixth in program oral interpretation; Lauren Duckworth, third and sixth place in dramatic duo, third in program oral interpretation, fifth in broadcasting, sixth in after dinner speaking, and sixth in poetry; Jennifer Dickey, Mount Airy, Maryland, second place in interpretation prose and fifth in program oral interpretation; and Karen Paiz, Silver Spring, Maryland, sixth place in dramatic duo.
College Forensics Association Tournament
Winners at the CFA year-end tournament include Will Wheatley, second place in both parliamentary debate and extemporaneous speaking, third in Lincoln-Douglas debate, and fourth in pentathlon; David Bennett, first place in persuasive speaking, second in parliamentary debate, third in extemporaneous speaking, and fifth in dramatic duo; Desiree Rose, third place in public address; Garrett Spiker, second place in impromptu speaking; Mikayla Duhaime, Saratoga Springs, New York, fourth place in prose interpretation; Meredith Blady, fifth place in poetry interpretation; Maggie Nevin, sixth place in declamation; Katie Zakrzewski, fifth place in dramatic duo; Casey Feezle, first place in extemporaneous speaking, fourth in after dinner speaking, and fifth in informative speaking; Lauren Duckworth, fifth place in after dinner speaking and sixth in dramatic duo; Lance Wines, Winchester, Virginia, third place in impromptu speaking and fourth in parliamentary debate speaker; Jennifer Dickey, fourth place in poetry interpretation; and Karen Paiz, sixth place in dramatic duo.
The team also garnered three year-end awards in Ocean City, including third place for Team Sweepstakes. Bennett also won first place in persuasive speaking, and Feezle took second place in extemporaneous speaking.
Wilkes University Invitational
In addition, the team participated in the Wilkes University Invitational and Debate Tournament in Pennsylvania in early February, coming home with a second place overall win. David Bennett won first place in parliamentary debate and best parliamentary speaker; Will Wheatley won first place in parliamentary debate, second in best parliamentary speaker, and sixth in informative speaking; Desiree Rose took third place in parliamentary debate; Karen Paiz won third in parliamentary debate and fifth place in dramatic duo; Casey Feezle won second place in pentathlon, third in dramatic duo, fourth in parliamentary debate, and fifth in extemporaneous speaking; Lance Wines won first place in Lincoln-Douglas debate, second in interpretation declamation, and sixth in communication analysis; Sam Brown, won first place in pentathlon, third in dramatic duo, and fourth in the categories of best parliamentary speaker, parliamentary debate, and interpretation declamation; Maggie Nevin won first place in interpretation declamation and sixth in poetry; Mikayla Duhaine took third place in prose; Jennifer Dickey won fourth place in both prose and poetry; Lauren Duckworth won fourth and fifth place in dramatic duo; Katie Zakzewski won fourth in dramatic duo; Logan Kerr, Inwood, won second place in Lincoln-Douglas debate; and Meredith Blady won fifth in poetry.
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