Dawn BonkerChapman University’s Speech and Debate team took the top award for four-year universities at the Pacific Southwest Collegiate Forensics Association Fall Championship tournament held this month at Cerritos College.
Chapman beat out 36 other schools, including UCLA and several California State University teams, to win its first 4-year University Sweepstakes award. Speech and debate instructor and head coach Allan Axibal-Cordero said Chapman has student talent and dedication to thank for the big win.
“They worked really hard and they practiced a lot,” Axibal-Cordero said. “They know how to present themselves well in front of an audience and they know what it takes to get there, too.”
Several of the team members will continue in the Department of Communications Studies program next semester, with an eye toward preparing for national competition, Axibal-Cordero said.
Individual wins contributing to the Sweepstakes Award included:
- 1st place Open Info – Shelby Stanton
- 1st place Jr. Info – Valerie Swartz
- 1st place Novice Prose – Valerie Swartz
- 1st place Jr. Impromptu – Taylor Patti
- 1st place Novice After Dinner Speech – Taylor Patti
- 1st place Jr. Duo – Cassidy Jensen & Josh Nudelman
- 2nd place Open POI – Mark Pampanin
- 2nd place Jr. Informational – Cassidy Jensen
- 2nd place Novice After Dinner Speech – Emily Voogt
- 3rd place Open After Dinner Speech – Mark Pampanin
- 3rd place Novice Prose – Ashley Kubiniec
- 4th place Open Duo – Shelby Stanton & Kevin Taucher
- 5th place Open Duo – Nikole Weber & Kevin Taucher
- 7th place Open CA – Tim Seavey
- Finalist Jr. Prose – Cassidy Jensen
- Finalist Jr. Informational – Ashley Kubiniec
- Finalist Novice Prose – Brandon Mancilla
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