MonticelloLive

The speech and debate team at the University of Arkansas at Monticello brought home 27 awards, including second place overall, at the Louisiana State University-Shreveport Swing Tournament November 9-11. The tournament was hosted by LSU-S and the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

In the varsity debate division, Joel Brown of Monticello earned first place while Kate Kelly of Monticello, Brian Rauls of Bearden, and Rebekah Heflin of Russellville reached the round of 16. Chris Halley of North Little Rock made the quarterfinals while Lauren Raynor of Covington, Tenn., reached the semifinals.  Brown also earned a first place speaker award and Rauls took fourth.
            In the novice debate division, Joy Vallas of Crossett reached the semifinals while Ashley Williamson of Monticello reached the quarterfinals.
            Also contributing to the winning effort were Zach Baumgartner of Monticello, and Shiann Ryals of Dardanelle.
            In individual and team speaking events, Brown and Rauls were awarded fourth place in duo-dramatic interpretation while Davis and Kelly earned sixth place and were named the top novice duo competitors of the tournament.  Rauls was also a semifinalist in impromptu speaking while Brown earned fifth in prose and third in pentathlon.
            In the ULM portion of the tournament, Halley and Raynor were awarded first place in team debate. Chip Davis of Bentonville was awarded sixth place in dramatic interpretation and fourth in program oral interpretation. Davis and Kelly earned fourth in dramatic duo. Brown was awarded fifth in informative speaking and Brooke Flemister of Monticello earned sixth in communication analysis. Brown also reached the semifinals in impromptu speaking and earned fifth in pentathlon.
            “We had a really great weekend,” said Scott Kuttenkuler, UAM debate coach and director of forensics. “This success is a result of hard work and each member of the team doing what it takes to fulfill their individual responsibilities.”
            The team’s next competition will be held November 30 through December 1 at Mississippi College.