Speech and Debate Team earns top award at championship tourney — again!


students smile with awars

The Speech and Debate Team’s strong showing in individual awards at the recent championship tournament won the team the top award. Pictured in back, left to right, are Remington Bruce, Haley Strickland, Noreen Raja, Danielle Platt, Nayobi Maldonado-Ochoa, Nick Fernandes and Josh Nudelman. In front, left to right, are Katie Henderson, Tim Seavey, Alex Gallagher Jasmine Johnson and Shelby Stanton.


For the second year in a row, Chapman University’s Speech and Debate Team took the top award for four-year universities at the Pacific Southwest Collegiate Forensics Championship Tournament held in December at California State University, Long Beach.

Chapman beat 39 other schools, including UCLA and many California State Universities, and hundreds of competitors at the largest California tournament of the fall semester. Communication Studies instructor and team director Lyndsey Christoffersen, Ph.D., attributes the win to the team’s hard work and dedication.

“Their hard work has really paid off. Winning two years in a row shows that Chapman is becoming a dominant force in the competitive debate community,” Christoffersen said.

The team members will continue in the Department of Communication Studies program next semester as they work toward competing at the national tournament at Purdue University.

Individual accolades contributing to the Sweepstakes Award included:

  • 1st Open Extemp – Tim Seavey
  • 1st Open After Dinner Speaking – Jasmine Johnson
  • 1st Open Informative – Jasmine Johnson
  • 1st Open Parliamentary Debate Speaker – Tim Seavey
  • Gold Novice Parliamentary Debate – Nayobi Maldonado-Ochoa & Nick Fernandes
  • Gold Novice Parliamentary Debate – Alexine Gallagher & Danielle Platt
  • Gold Novice Parliamentary Debate – Katie Henderson & Noreen Raja
  • 2nd Communication Analysis – Shelby Stanton
  • 2nd Novice Parliamentary Debate Speaker – Katie Henderson
  • Silver Open Parliamentary Debate – Shelby Stanton & Tim Seavey
  • 3rd Open Communication Analysis – Tim Seavey
  • 3rd Novice Parliamentary Debate Speaker – Alex Gallagher
  • 4th Open After Dinner Speaking – Josh Nudelman
  • 4th Open Persuasive – Jasmine Johnson
  • 4th Open Impromptu – Tim Seavey
  • 5th Programmed Oral Interp – Shelby Stanton
  • 5th Novice Parliamentary Debate Speaker – Noreen Raja

Dawn Bonker

Add comment

Your Header Sidebar area is currently empty. Hurry up and add some widgets.