Gustavus Adolphus College

Andrea Carlile received several individual awards, and was one of two Gustavus speakers to qualify for the Interstate Oratorical Association's national contest. (Photo by Joe Lencioni)

The Gustavus forensics team collected 30 individual awards at the 23rd Minnesota Collegiate Forensics Association (MCFA) State Championships held on Feb. 17—18 on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall. Gustavus finished second in the Team Sweepstakes among the ten colleges and universities participating in the event.

The team of Henry Stokman (sr., Minnesota Lake, Minn.) and Alex Knewtson (jr., Mapleton, Minn.) won the state championship in Parliamentary Debate. A Gustavus team has won the championship in four out of the past five years. Stokman and Knewtson had also finished first in 2005 and second in the 2006 state debate competition.

Gustavus speakers stood out in the oratory competition, sweeping the top four places and five of the top seven, which had the MCFA checking its record book. Andrea Carlile (sr., Chatham, Ill.) placed first, and Bridget Traut (sr., Sartell, Minn.) finished second, both qualifying for the 135th Interstate Oratorical Association National Contest, to be held in Santa Fe, N.M., in April. The Interstate Oratorical Association's national contest, which is the nation's oldest annual public speaking contest, brings together 60 of the top collegiate persuasive speakers in the country, with each state allowed to qualify a maximum of only two competitors. Carlile qualified for the Interstate contest for an unprecedented third consecutive year; she had made the semi-final round of last year's contest. Individual honors were accorded the following speakers:

Individual Awards

Andrea Carlile (sr., Chatham, Ill.)

1st Oratory, 2nd Communication Analysis, 3rd Parliamentary Debate (with Sean Maertens), 6th Informative Speaking, 4th Impromptu Speaking, 3rd Individual Sweepstakes, 5th Parliamentary Debate Speaker Award

Tasha Carlson (soph., Apple Valley, Minn.)

2nd Prose Interpretation, 2nd Program Oral Interpretation, 3rd Oratory, 4th Mini Interpretation

Mary Cunningham (first-year, Maplewood, Minn.)

6th Extemporaneous Speaking, 7th Impromptu Speaking

Andrea Gullixson (first-year, Woodbury, Minn.)

5th Dramatic Interpretation

Alex Knewtson (jr., Mapleton, Minn.)

1st Parliamentary Debate (with Henry Stokman)

Brittney Lovdahl (sr., St. Cloud, Minn.)

1st Informative Speaking

Sean Maertens (first-year, Mankato, Minn.)

3rd Parliamentary Debate (with Andrea Carlile), 7th Extemporaneous Speaking

Emma Moreau (first-year, St. Paul, Minn.)

1st After-Dinner Speaking, 3rd Prose Interpretation, 5th Impromptu Speaking, 7th Oratory

Caitlin Peterson (first-year, Chippewa Falls, Wis.)

7th Mini Interpretation

Maria Siegle (soph., Cologne, Minn.)

4th Oratory, 5th Informative Speaking

Henry Stokman (sr., Minnesota Lake, Minn.)

1st Parliamentary Debate (with Alex Knewtson), 2nd Parliamentary Debate Speaker Award

Bridget Traut (sr., Sartell, Minn.)

2nd Oratory, 4th Informative Speaking

Paula Wiggam (first-year, Cheyenne, Wyo.)

3rd Dramatic Interpretation, 7th Program Oral Interpretation

Gustavus will host the 2008 MCFA State Championships in February 2008.