The Gustavus forensics team won the Individual Events portion and placed 2nd Overall at the 2011 Minnesota Collegiate Forensics Association State Championships, held Feb. 19-20. Competing against 12 other schools, the Gustavus team dominated the individual events, placing first in 7 of the 11 events. The Gusties were narrowly defeated by Concordia College in Moorhead as the Cobbers won the Debate portion of the weekend tournament.
Seniors Phil Helt and Claire Sagstuen each won 2 events, and senior Eric Cronin and sophomores Kate Bissen and Kaitlin Burlingame each won championships as well. By winning the Oratory event, Helt qualified to represent Minnesota at the 2011 Interstate Oratorical Association National Contest, the nation’s oldest speaking competition. This is the 6th consecutive year that Gustavus will have a representative at the IOA National Contest, to be held April 22-23, 2011 at James Madison University in Virginia.
Sagstuen won Extemporaneous Speaking and Impromptu Speaking, while Helt won Editorial Impromptu and Oratory. With their 2 victories apiece, Sagstuen and Helt placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in Individual Sweepstakes.
Other event champions include senior Eric Cronin in After Dinner Speaking, sophomore Kate Bissen in Informative, and sophomore Kaitlin Burlingame in Prose Interpretation.
Here’s a break down of the Gustavus results from the state championships:
Overall Team Sweepstakes, Open Division
First Place: Concordia College = 365 points
Second Place: Gustavus Adolphus College = 336 points
Third Place: Minnesota State University, Mankato = 200 points
Individual Sweepstakes
Second Place: Claire Sagstuen
Third Place: Phil Helt
Final Results:
After Dinner Speaking
First Place: Eric Cronin
Third Place: Phil Helt
Communication Analysis
Second Place: Phil Helt
Drama
Second Place: Chloe Radcliffe
Third Place: Sam Hemmerich
Dramatic Duo
Third Place: Kate Bissen & Hannah Engel
Editorial Impromptu
First Place: Phil Helt
Third Place: Claire Sagstuen
Extemporaneous Speaking
First Place: Claire Sagstuen
Third Place: Kirsten Craft
Impromptu Speaking
First Place: Claire Sagstuen
Third Place: Chloe Radcliffe
Fifth Place: Kate Bissen
Seventh Place: Chris Moua
Informative
First Place: Kate Bissen
Third Place: Eric Cronin
Sixth Place: Phil Helt
Oratory
First Place: Phil Helt
Third Place: Claire Sagstuen
Fifth Place: Kate Bissen
Sixth Place: Chris Moua
Poetry
Third Place: Kelsey Abele
Prose
First Place: Kaitlin Burlingame
Third Place: Sam Hemmerich
Fourth Place: Kelsey Abele
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510