UCO Speech and Debate Qualifies for Nationals
Liberal Arts News and Events
December 1, 2021
The University of Central Oklahoma Speech and Debate Team competed at multiple tournaments in October and November. Members of the speech team swept through the T-Town Swing hosted by Tulsa Community College and Northeastern State University. Cecilia Alali took first place in Prose and Dramatic Interpretation. Kyia Woodson took first place in Poetry. Jacob Shults took second place in Prose.
The Speech Team also competed at the American Forensics Association District Qualifying Tournament. Cecilia Alali’s third place for performance in Dramatic Interpretation qualified her for the American Forensics Associations National Speech Tournament hosted this April at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The Debate Team competed at several tournaments as well. The team of L. Smith and Calvin Ong finished fifth place as quarterfinalists at the Harvard College Tournament. UCO hosted its annual Joe C. Jackson Tournament the weekend of November 5-7, 2021. The tournament featured 29 teams from across the country. The UCO team of Kyle Wendland and Zach Huffman took third place as Semifinalists. Huffman was also named the top speaker at the tournament.
UCO Speech and Debate Team pictured left to right: Calvin Ong, Kyia Woodson, Jacob Shults, Zach Huffman, Cecilia Alali, Kyle Wendland, Grant Colquitt, L. Smith.