LAKELAND, Fla. (March 23, 2007) —Florida Southern’s Forensic Team put forward an impressive effort in their first national competition, breaking into final rounds in three events, winning second place overall in the small-entry team sweepstakes, and being recognized as the Quality Award Champion.

The 25th Annual Novice Nationals, which was hosted by Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyo., featured first-year competitors from 21 colleges and universities across the country. FSC team members Krista Miller and Tony Rivera, both freshmen, and Jessica Barnes, a junior, competed in four events, and broke to finals in all but one of those events.

Miller continued her solid streak, taking first place in After Dinner Speaking and drawing rave reviews from judges, placing well above the second place recipient. Rivera made a major jump over previous tournaments, with a solid fifth-place finish.

Barnes and Miller took third place in Dramatic Duo Interpretation, performing a selection from the play “Parallel Lives.” Barnes also placed third in Informative Speaking with her presentation on the increase of bed bug infestations across the United States.

“This was an incredible weekend for us,” said Chris Fenner, FSC Director of Forensics, “I am so proud of Jessica, Krista, and Tony. This level of success in our first national competition is unbelievable.”

Overall, the strong performance of the students led to the team ranking second in the Division 3 Sweepstakes. The team was also recognized as the Novice Nationals Quality Award Champion, which is based on the number of events a team competes in and actual performance in those events.

“This is really the most important award we give out because it recognizes the level of competition of the team, regardless of size,” said tournament director Michael Dreher, “this year’s recipient had the highest point total we’ve had in the past several years.”

Barnes, Miller, and Rivera will be finishing out the competitive year, along with the rest of the team, next month at the National Forensic Association National Championship. The tournament will be held in Rome, Ga. at Berry College.

The Florida Southern Forensic Team began competing in intercollegiate competition in fall 2005, and is sponsored through a generous grant by local businessman, C.C. “Doc” Dockery.

For more information about Forensics, please contact Chris Fenner at cfenner@flsouthern.edu

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 39 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 13:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor’s institutions and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.