The 2015 American Forensic Association national collegiate speech tournament was hosted April 4-6 at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. The University of Texas Speech Team ranked second nationally out of 86 colleges and universities who qualified for the contest, trailing eventual team champions Western Kentucky University 520.5-516.5.
George Mason University trailed at 3rd place with 376.5 points, followed by Bradley University with 302, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha with 272.5 to round out the top 5. The remainder of the top 10 included (in order) Illinois State University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the University of Alabama, University of Northern Iowa, and Doane College.
Despite the narrow loss for the overall team title, it was the single best performance ever for University of Texas students. Texas Speech Junior Farrah Bara soundly won the overall individual national championship. Her cumulative score of 147 was 35 points above the second place finisher. She became the fourth student in UT’s history to win that title, also winning national championships in Extemporaneous Speaking and Communication Analysis while placing 3rd in Persuasive Speaking.
UT Junior Kevin King also was awarded 2 national championships, winning both Persuasive and Informative Speaking, and placing 4th overall.
Senior Chelsea Sandlin joined King and Bara in the top five overall speakers in the country, and was recognized with top 6 placements in Dramatic Interpretation and After Dinner Speaking. Senior Fernando Morales was recognized as the 16th overall speaker in the country.
UT was the only college/university to win multiple national titles at the contest, with Texas Speech students winning five of the twelve total individual national championships awarded by the American Forensic Association. In 2005, the team won four national titles. In 2009 students won 5 national titles, but two from the American Forensic Association and three from the National Forensic Association. The team heads next to Athens, Ohio for the National Forensic Association contest, where it hopes to add to what has already been a phenomenal year.
Individual accolades are listed below the break.
Complete results for the national contest are available at: https://www.speechwire.com/afaniet2015.pdf
For more information about the American Forensic Association, see their website at: http://afa-niet.org
For more information about Texas Speech, contact Director Randy Cox, Moody College of Communication, at mrcox@austin.utexas.edu
Individual Honors Detail
Farrah Bara (Lib Arts – Economics & Global Studies Junior)
- National Champion, Overall Speaker
- National Champion, Communication Analysis
- National Champion, Extemporaneous Speaking
- 3rd place, Persuasive Speaking
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Informative Speaking
- National Quarter-Finalist (top 24), After Dinner Speaking
- National Quarter-Finalist (top 24), Impromptu Speaking
Kevin King (Lib Arts – Government Junior)
- National Champion, Informative Speaking
- National Champion, Persuasive Speaking
- 4th place, Overall Speaker
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Dramatic Interpretation
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Program Oral Interpretation
Chelsea Sandlin (Comm – Public Relations Senior)
- 5th place, Overall Speaker
- 5th place, After Dinner Speaking
- 6th place, Dramatic Interpretation
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Program Oral Interpretation
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Prose Interpretation
Fernando Morales (Comm – Public Relations Senior)
- 16th place, Overall Speaker
- National Semi-finalist (top 12), Dramatic Interpretation
- National Semi-finalist (top 12), Duo Interpretation with Lario Albarran
- National Semi-finalist (top 12), Poetry Interpretation
Arel Rende (Lib Arts – Plan II & Bus Unspec Freshman)
- National Runner-Up, Extemporaneous Speaking
- 6th place, Impromptu Speaking
Xavier Clark (Comm – Political Communication Junior)
- 3rd place, Program Oral Interpretation
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Duo Interpretation with Abigail Onwunali
- National Quarter-finalist (top 24), Dramatic Interpretation
Ali Shan Ali Bhai (Lib Arts – Plan II & Bus Unspec Sophomore)
- 5th place, Extemporaneous Speaking
- National Semi-finalist (top 12), Communication Analysis
- National Quarter-Finalist (top 24), Persuasive Speaking
Abigail Onwunali (Undec Freshman)
- 6th place, Prose Interpretation
- National Semi-finalist (top 12), Duo Interpretation with Xavier Clark
- National Quarter-finalist (top 24), Dramatic Interpretation
Yogashri Pradhan (Engr – Petroleum Senior)
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Informative Speaking
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Communication Analysis
Lario Albarran (Lib Arts – Government Senior)
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Duo Interpretation with Fernando Morales
- National Quarter-Finalist (top 24), Poetry Interpretation
Derrek Chung (Lib Arts – Psychology Sophomore)
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Extemporaneous Speaking
Marianna Garcia (Comm – Political Communication Freshman)
- National Quarter-finalist (top 24), Duo Interpretation with Lizzette Marrero
Lizzette Marrero (Lib Arts – Government & Global Studies Junior)
- National Quarter-finalist (top 24), Duo Interpretation with Alexa Thomas
- National Quarter-finalist (top 24), Duo Interpretation with Marianna Garcia
Mary Claire Phillips (Lib Arts – Government Freshman) & Cole Hanzlicek (Lib Arts – Government Sophomore)
- National Quarter-finalists (top 24), Duo Interpretation
Alexa Thomas (Comm – Public Relations Junior)
- National Quarter-finalists (top 24), Duo Interpretation with Lizzette Marrero
Terran Duhon (Lib Arts – Rhetoric & Writing Junior)
- National Semi-Finalist (top 12), Persuasive Speaking
Congratulations to the following students who also qualified for the competition, but were not advanced to award rounds: Cimmiaron Alvarez, Macy Bayern, Alex Bergeron, Blake Bergeron, Caroline Builta, Julio Gonzalez, Thomas Hill, Suchinder Kalyan, Patrick Lyons, Alex Meed, Cameron Smith, Steven Villescas
Texas Speech is directed by Moody College of Communication/Communication Studies Senior Lecturer Martin R. Cox, assisted by Communication Studies graduate students Benjamin Gaddis and William Mickey Cox.
Additional assistance throughout the year has been provided by in-house and traveling coaches including Mary Katherine Raffetto (UT Law School), Kevin Giffin (RTF alumnus), Matthew Whitman, Colin Malinak (College of Liberal Arts), Daniel Hatoum (UT Law School), Jason Warren (Communication Studies alumnus), Casimiro Garcia (Communication Studies alumnus), Karon Bowers (LBJ School of Public Affairs alumna), Joseph Faina (Communication Studies graduate program), Shannon Hicks (Communication Studies graduate program) and Jesus Valles.