Bloomsburg University Forensics Team wins Lynchburg competition

The Bloomsburg University Forensics Team won the 1st Place Team Sweepstakes Trophy out of six schools at the Collegiate Forensic Association's annual Fall Speech and Debate Tournament hosted by the University of Lynchburg on November 5-6, 2021.  Thirteen out of fifteen BU students won 50 individual and team speaking awards, including first place awards in 9 of the 13 events at the tournament.  Isaac Osborn, Lindsey Garnel, and Emme Reiser competed at their final tournament for the team in Lynchburg as they either graduate in December or have an internship in the Spring.

This was the second straight tournament that BU won first place.  BU captured first place two weeks ago at the Randolph-Macon College Invitational Tournament. BU finished ahead of Randolph-Macon College, University of Lynchburg, Shepherd University, Cleveland State Community College (Tennessee), and Lenoir-Rhyne University at Lynchburg.

The following students won individual/team speech and debate awards at the University of Lynchburg:

Jonathan Roe had five first-place finishes. Roe was first in Persuasion; Dramatic Duo with Nick Sorkine; Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Parliamentary Debate with Isaac Osborn; and Pentathlon. He was second in Impromptu; second in Best Speaker in Parliamentary Debate (tie); third in Declamation; and fifth in After-Dinner Speaking. 

Lindsey Garnel was first in Impromptu; second in After-Dinner Speaking; second in Dramatic Duo with Emme Reiser; third in Poetry; fourth in Extemporaneous Speaking; fifth in Persuasive Speaking; and second in Pentathlon.

Isaac Osborn was first in Informative as well as Parliamentary Debate with Jonathan Roe; took second in Communication Analysis and Lincoln-Douglas Debate; and second Best Speaker in Parliamentary Debate (tie). He was third in Extemporaneous Speaking; fourth in After-Dinner Speaking; and fifth in Pentathlon.

Natalia Warfel was fifth in Prose; sixth in Poetry; sixth in Dramatic Duo with Eric Nock; and sixth in Declamation.

Erik Weibel was third in Prose and fifth in Impromptu.

Emme Reiser took first in Communication Analysis; second in Dramatic Duo with Lindsey Garnel; and sixth in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Jared Garrison was second in Extemporaneous Speaking; fourth in Impromptu; and fifth in Informative.

Eric Nock was third in Prose; fourth in Informative; and sixth in Dramatic Duo with Natalia Warfel.

Luis Donayre was third in Informative; and sixth in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

Nick Sorkine was first in Dramatic Duo with Jonathan Roe; first in Extemporaneous Speaking; second in Persuasion; fourth in Lincoln-Douglas Debate as well and Pentathlon; fourth in Best Speaker in Parliamentary Debate; and sixth in Prose.

Emma Richman was first in After-Dinner Speaking; second in Single Dramatic Interpretation; and third Persuasion.

Jacob Geedey was sixth in Informative; and sixth in Impromptu.

Zach Shultz was fourth in Single Dramatic Interpretation.

Mason Kay and Carson Rush also competed for Bloomsburg University and contributed to the team's first-place finish. 

Dr. Neil Strine, Director of Forensics judged for Bloomsburg University at the tournament.  The team will travel next to Ottawa, Ontario for the Collegiate Forensic Association's annual Winter Tournament in January, 2022.