Forensics Team Earns Top 10 National Ranking

The Gustavus Adolphus College forensics team earned a top 10 national ranking over the weekend with its best ever performance at the American Forensic Association’s National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET) in Eau Claire, Wis.

The team earned 197 points to finish in 10th place – the best finish in school history. Bradley University took first place in the team sweepstakes with 443 points. Gustavus is one of only a few smaller colleges that placed in the top 20 which is dominated by larger research universities.

“The last time a program and school of our size placed in the top 10 was Hastings College in 2000,” Gustavus head coach Kristofer Kracht said. “It is parallel to Butler beating Duke tonight for the national college basketball title. We had a great year and are proud of our accomplishments.”

The team standings at this year’s AFA-NIET shook out like this: 

1. Bradley University                                         
2. Western Kentucky University                                   
3. Illinois State University                                 
4. George Mason University                              
5. University of Texas at Austin                        
6. California State University-Long Beach       
7. University of Alabama                                   
8. University of Nebraska-Omaha                     
9. University of Nebraska-Lincoln                    
10. Gustavus Adolphus College                        
11. Arizona State University                               
12. Ohio University                                             
13. Seton Hall University                                    
14. Northwestern University                               
15. St. Joseph’s University                                  
16. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire             
17. Kansas State University                                 
18. Concordia College                                         
19. Doane College                                                           
20. James Madison University                             

Gustavus sophomore Chloe Radcliffe placed 15^th in the individual sweepstakes standings by amassing 84 points. Bradley University’s Amanda Voirol won the individual sweepstakes with 139 points.

Radcliffe advanced to the finals in two events and to the quarterfinals in a third event. She took second place in Communication Analysis and fifth place in Drama Interpretation. She also advanced to the quarterfinals in Program Oral Interpretation. In the process, Radcliffe became the first Gustavus student to be a national finalist in any AFA-NIET event and the first to place in the individual sweepstakes.

Junior Phil Helt advanced to the semifinals in both Communication Analysis and Persuasion. Senior Mary Cunningham advanced to the semifinals in Extemporaneous Speaking and the quarterfinals in both Informative Speaking and Communication Analysis.

First-year student Kate Bissen made it to the semifinal round in Informative Speaking. Senior Emma Moreau advanced to the quarterfinals in Impromptu Speaking. First-year student Chris Moua advanced to the quarterfinals in Persuasion.

Other team members who competed at the AFA-NIET included seniors Paula Wiggam and C.J. Hunt; juniors Eric Cronin and Claire Sagstuen; sophomores Allegra Birdseye, Sam Hemmerich, and Luke Youngvorst; and first-year students Vanessa Condon, Hannah Engel, Eric Halvorson, and Aly Roach.

2010 marks the fourth straight year that the Gustavus forensics team has earned a top 20 national ranking. The team finished 2007 and 2008 as the No. 20 ranked team in the country. In 2009 the team finished the season ranked No. 18.

Click here to view the full results from this year’s AFA-NIET.

Click here to learn more about the Gustavus forensics team.