Miami University

Early win for forensics team

09/29/1998

OXFORD, Ohio -- Miami University's forensics team has started its 90th

anniversary year with several first place wins at a national tournament of

speech and debate at the University of Northern Iowa September 18-21.

Miami debaters Jon Hawkins and Omar Siddiq defeated a team from Northwestern

University to take first place in the junior varsity division of the

tournament. It was the first college tournament for Hawkins and Siddiq.

Other winners: Amanda Hickman won first place in persuasive speaking; Dan

Hungerman took first in extemporaneous speaking and in oratorical speaking.

Miami's strong individual performances in speech competition placed the team

second in the sweepstakes award. The speech team finished third in last year's

competition.

Other students who received awards include: Chris Tenaglia, who took third

place in persuasion and second in communication analysis; Alyssa Wright, who

earned fifth place in persuasion and fifth place in communication analysis;

Laura Batt, who took second place in informative speaking and fifth place in

after-dinner speaking; and Michaela Meyer, who won second place in impromptu

speaking.

All six students on the speech team qualified for national competition in

April 1999. The speech team was coached by assistant director Bond Benton and

graduate coaches Derrick Green and Margaret Kaszonyi.

The Miami debate team won six out of eight of their preliminary debates,

defeating schools from Concordia, Eastern New Mexico, Southwest Missouri State,

Illinois State and Northwestern. The team defended an affirmative case

concerning the autonomy of Native American courts. The debate team was coached

by director Ben Voth.