News

LAKELAND (March 22, 2012) – The FSC Competitive Speech Team ended the forensic season with two first-place finishes and a score of top awards at national championships in March.

FSC senior Brittany Archer was the first-place winner in After Dinner Speaking at the varsity Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament in Kansas City, March 17-18.

The previous week, freshman Amy Scroggin took an individual first-place prize in Poetry Interpretation at the Novice National Championship at Lafayette College in Easton, Penn., and helped the FSC novice team to a fifth-place finish.

In addition to her first-place win, Archer was a quarter-finalist in Oral Interpretation and received an Excellence Award for being in the top 30 percent of competitors in Impromptu Speaking.

Sophomore Katie Luecht was fourth place in After Dinner Speaking at the Pi Kappa Delta tournament. Archer, Luecht and junior Erin Ferguson competed against teams from 70 colleges and universities across the U.S.

“We had a record-breaking year at the National Comprehensive Tournament,” said Dr. Christopher J. Fenner, Communication Division Chairman and Director of Forensics. “Prior to this year, we’ve only had one student make it to quarterfinals in any event. So, we had two national finalists at the varsity level as well as Amy Scroggin’s fantastic performance at Novice Nationals. Hands down, this was the best year for FSC forensics at the national competition level since the inception of the program.”

Scroggin also placed second in Persuasive Speaking at the Novice Nationals and was a semifinalist in Impromptu Speaking. Her strong performance earned her a sixth-place individual pentathlon award.

Sophomore Alex Watson also competed at the Novice National Championship.

The wins followed the team’s earlier success at the UWF Marks Invitational Tournament in January, where Archer placed third in After Dinner Speaking and fourth in Oral Interpretation. Luecht ranked sixth in Impromptu Speaking, and Scroggin placed second in Novice Impromptu Speaking.

Scroggin also placed fifth in the Florida Interstate Forensic Association state championship hosted by the University of West Florida on Feb. 24-25.

Amy Scroggin & Alex Watson