Forensics Team Wins National Championship

Carson-Newman College’s forensics team hosted the National Christian College Forensics Invitational tournament last week and worked together to keep two national titles on campus. While the team became a dynasty with its fourth consecutive Individual Events Championship, performances were so strong that the squad won its first NCCFI Overall National Championship as well.

In besting 25 schools from 16 states, Coach Chip Hall’s team dominated IE brackets with 591.5 points while second place Belmont University compiled 388. Minnesota’s Bethel University came in third with 242. Other institutions represented included Azusa Pacific University, Cedarville University, Liberty University and Wheaton College.

“Our sound scoring and strong performance in Individual Events, coupled with the debate points scored, made the overall NCFFI trophy a reality,” said Hall. “The novice team of Rebecca Bird and Laura Kate Gonyea, who made it to the final round in Novice Parliamentary debate, was an important component to this significant victory. All in all, this was a team victory – one where all 18 students came together and emerged victorious.”

Senior Faith Rader, National Champion in Faith Literature Interpretation, performed literature that likened one woman’s disillusioned approach to her faith as something akin to her Mary Kay cosmetics consultancy. Junior Luke Willoughby won the Extemporaneous Speaking championship. The Duo Interpretation title went to seniors Jordan Rasnic and Rheannah Summers for their excerpt of a play in which a soldier’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) creates a scenario in which he interacts with the Iraqi child he killed.

Hall said Bird had the weekend of her young forensics career by hauling in a pair of victories, Novice Impromptu Speaking and Novice Persuasive Speaking, which warned against potential harms of face recognition software.

It’s the fourth tourney from which the team has emerged victorious. Others came at the University of West Florida’s Marks Invitational Tournament, a Miami University (Ohio) competition and Gainesville, Georgia’s Chicken and Egg Tournament.