FORENSICS UNION 2014-2015

SEASON RESULTS

Non-Competitive Highlights We hosted nine tournaments – The Edward J. Pappas high school debate tournament (with 200+ attendees); the Michigan college state I.E. championship tournament; the spring MIFA middle school I.E. tournament (700+ attendees), and 5 Detroit Urban Debate League Tournaments.

John Brundage, Irman Nahin, Kevin Mardirosian, and Sydney Machesky at the Eastern Michigan Tournament.

We hosted and ran two summer debate institutes – one camp in June instructs middle school and young high school students in fundamental argumentation and presentation skills while the other camp in August trains urban debate students in competitive debate skills and the upcoming high school debate topic.

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Wayne State”, our website, www.wsuforensics.org, or Twitter at @WSUForensics

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

NATIONAL RANKINGS 2014-2015 National Forensics Association –7th place overall, 1st place, President’s Division I State Champions (with 9 Individual State Champions)

Bradley University (I-74) Imran Nahin – 3rd place, Persuasion Peoria, IL John Brundage – 3rd place, Novice Impromptu October 4-5, 2014 Nikhil Adapa – 6th place, Extemp Team Award – 5th place sweepstakes

Ball State University (BSU/ISU Swing) Muncie, IN Nick Norton – Day 1: 2nd, Ind. Sweeps; 1st October 18-19, 2014 ADS; 1st, Rhet Criticism; 3rd, Extemp

Day 2: 1st, Ind. Sweeps; 1st, ADS; 1st, Extemp; 2nd, Persuasion; 4th, Impromptu; 4th, Rhet. Crit.

Imran Nahin – Day 1: 2nd, Persuasion; 2nd, Impromptu; 5th, Extemp Day 2: 3rd, Extemp; 5th, Impromptu; 6th, Persuasion.

Team Award – Day 1: 5th sweepstakes

Marshall University Sydney Machesky – 5th, Ind Sweeps; 1st, Prose; 4th, Huntington, WV Drama; 5th, Persuasion. October 26, 2014 Imran Nahin – 2nd, Impromptu; 2nd, Rhet. Crit. Nikil Adapa – 5th, Informative Team Award – 1st, Small School Sweeps

Bradley University (Norton)Sydney Machesky – 4th, Drama Peoria, IL Kevin Mardirosian – 3rd, Novice Persuasion; 5th Novice, November 1-2, 2014 Rhet. Crit. Imran Nahin – Quarterfinalist, Impromptu

Bowling Green State Kevin Mardirosian – Day 1: 1st, Novice Prose; 1st, Novice Bowling Green, OH Persuasion; Top Novice & 2nd, Rhet. Crit. November 14-15, 2014 Day 2: 4th, Persuasion; 5th, Rhet. Crit.

Nick Norton – Day 1: 2nd, Persuasion; 2nd ADS; 4th, Informative; 4th, Rhet. Crit.; 4th, Impromptu Day 2: 2nd, Informative; 2nd Impromptu; 2nd ADS;

4th, Extemp; 3rd, Rhet. Crit. Sydney Machesky – Day 2: 2nd, Ind. Sweeps; 1st, Prose; 3rd Drama; 2nd Persuasion. Imran Nahin – Day 1: 2nd, Extemp; 2nd, Impromptu; 4th Persuasion; 6th, Rhet. Crit. Day 2: 1st place, Impromptu; 2nd, Rhet. Crit. Sonali Reddy - Day 1: 4th place, Novice Impromptu; 5th, Novice Extemp Day 2: 1st, Novice Extemp; 1st, Novice Impromptu Team Awards – Day 1: 2nd Team Sweeps Day 2: 2nd Team Sweeps

Ohio State University Sydney Machesky – 1st, Prose; 1st, Persuasion Columbus, OH Persuasion; Top Novice & 2nd, Rhet. Crit. December 6, 2014 Kevin Mardirosian – 1st, Novice Impromptu; Top Novice

& 3rd, Persuasion; Top Novice & 4th, Rhet. Crit.; Top Novice & 5th, Prose.

Imran Nahin – 4th, Extemp; 4th, Persuasion Sonali Reddy – 4th, Novice Impromptu; Top Novice & 6th,

Extemp Team Award – 4th, Open Sweep

Fall MISL Tournament Imran Nahin – 1st, Extemp; 1st, Drama; 1st Ind. Sweeps; Oakland University 2nd, Rhet. Crit.; 4th, Persuasion Rochester, MI Sydney Machesky – 1st, Poetry; 2nd Ind. Sweeps; 2nd, December 13, 2014 Persuasion; 3rd, Rhet. Crit.; 4th, Impromptu Kevin Mardirosian – 2nd, Prose Robbie Pulta – 6th, Extemp Ethan Breuninger – 6th, Informative

Team Award – 3rd Team Sweeps

Bradley University (HFO) Sydney Machesky – Day 1: 4th, Persuasion; Day 2: Peoria, IL Semifinalist - Drama, Persuasion, & Poetry January 10-11, 2015 Nick Norton – Day 1: Semifinalist, Extemp _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ohio University Nick Norton – 1st, Editorial Impromptu; 1st, Info; 4th Persuasion Athens, OH Sydney Machesky – 2nd Duo; 1st Duet Improv; 6th, Info; 5th, January 31, 2015 Poetry Imran Nahin – 5th, Drama; 4th Ed. Impromptu; 6th, Persuasion Gaia Klotz – 2nd, Duo; 1st Duet Improv Teja Suryadevara – 4th, JV Extemp; 1st, JV Impromptu John Brundage – 3rd, JV Extemp; 2nd, JV Impromptu; 3rd, JV

Persuasion Sonali Reddy – 2nd, JV ADS; 5th, Impromptu Kevin Mardirosian – 3rd, ADS; 2nd, Info; 2nd, Rhet. Crit. Brendan Lopus – 1st, JV Duo; 6th, JV Impromptu Robbie Pluta – 1st, JV Duo; 6th, JV Extemp Team Award – 3rd, Team Sweeps _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Eastern Michigan University (Towers) Ypsilanti, MI Sydney Machesky – 4th, Ind. Sweeps; 1st, Poetry; 2nd Info; 2nd, February 8, 2015 Drama; 3rd, Prose Imran Nahin – 1st, Impromptu; 2nd, Extemp; 4th, Rhet. Crit.; 5th, Info; 6th Drama Kevin Mardirosian – 1st, ADS; 2nd, Persuasion; 3rd, Rhet. Crit. John Brundage – 1st, Novice Extemp; 1st Novice Impromptu

Team Award – 2nd, Team Sweeps

Bowling Green State Sydney Machesky – Day 1: 2nd, Ind. Sweeps; 1st, Poetry; Bowling Green, OH 2nd, Info; 3rd, Rhet. Crit. February 28-29, 2015 Day 2: 1st, Poetry; 4th, Info; 3rd, Ind. Sweeps Kevin Mardirosian – Day 1: 3rd, ADS Robbie Pulta – Day 1: Top Novice, Info

Day 2: Top Novice, Extemp Ethan Breuninger – Day 1: Top Novice, Prose

Day 2: Top Novice & 3rd, Impromptu Nikhil Adapa – Day 2: 4th, Impromptu; 4th, Extemp; 6th,

Info; Day 2: 6th, Persuasion

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ AFA District V Qualifier Gaia Klotz – 1st, Prose; 2nd, Poetry Northern Illinois University March 14, 2015 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MIFA State Championship Sydney Machesky – 1st, Ind. Sweeps; 1st, Poetry; 1st, Duo; Wayne State University 2nd, Persuasion; 2nd Info; 5th, Prose; 5th, Drama; Detroit, MI 6th, Impromptu March 21, 2015 Nick Norton – 2nd, Ind. Sweeps; 1st, Impromptu;

1st, Persuasion; 2nd, Extemp; 2nd, ADS; 4th, Rhet. Crit.

Imran Nahin – 3rd place, Ind. Sweeps; 2nd, Rhet. Crit,; 3rd, Drama; 4th, Impromptu; 4th, Extemp

Kevin Mardirosian – 1st, Rhet. Crit.; 1st, ADS; 3rd, Persuasion

Gaia Klotz – 1st, Duo; 4th, Prose Sonali Reddy – 5th, Extemp Brad Meloche – 1st, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Zach Rich – 2nd place, Lincoln-Douglas Debate Team Awards – State Champions - combined sweeps 2nd place, Ind Events Sweeps 1st place, Debate Sweeps _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ AFA National Championship Sydney Machesky – Quarterfinalist, Prose Lewis & Clark College Portland, OR April 4-5, 2015 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NFA National Championship Sydney Machesky – National Champion, Persuasion; Ohio University Finalist and 6th place, Duo; 13th, Ind. Sweeps Athens, OH Quarterfinalist in Prose & Rhet. Crit. April 16-19, 2015 Gaia Klotz – Finalist and 6th place, Duo Nick Norton – Semifinalist, Extemp; Quarterfinalist,

Impromptu Team Awards - 7th place overall, 1st place, President’s

Division I _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Interstate Oratory Championship Berry College Sydney Machesky – Semifinalist Rome, GA Nick Norton - Qualifier April 23-24, 2015 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IE Team at AFA Nationals: Nick Norton, Sydney Machesky, Irman Nahin, Kevin

Mardirosian

DEBATE TEAM

NATIONAL RANKINGS 2014-2015 National Debate Tournament – 55th Overall Cross Examination Debate Association – 66th Overall All-American (Top 30 Debaters in the Nation) Award Recipients, Cross Examination

Debate Association: Jeff Nagel & Talya Slaw National Debate Scholars Award Recipients, Cross Examination Debate Association: Summa Cum Laude –Talya Slaw Magna Cum Laude – Jeff Nagel Cum Laude – Haley Barnes, Peter Brundage, Rhonda Haidar, Zach Rich

University of Kentucky Jeff Nagel & Talya Slaw – Double Octafinalists, Varsity Lexington, KY Peter Brundage & Rhonda Haidar – Semifinalists, JV October 4-6, 2015 Haidar – 7th JV Speaker

Cal State-Fullerton Jeff Nagel & Talya Slaw – Double Octafinalists Fullerton, CA Slaw – 8th Open Speaker January 7-9, 2015

Indiana University Katrail Davis & Jamie Kornosky – 1st Place, JV Bloomington, IN Davis – 1st JV Speaker January 31-Feburary 2, 2015 Jeff Nagel & Talya Slaw – Semifinalists, Varsity Nagel – 9th, Varsity Speaker Slaw – 10th, Varsity Speaker Doug Husic & Jake Maxey – Octafinalists, Varsity

District V Qualifier Jeff Negal & Talya Slaw – 5-3, 4th seed, NDT Qualifier Indiana University (They are WSU’s 82nd qualifying team to the NDT since Bloomington, IN 1961) February 20-21, 2015

Debate Team at the National Debate Tournament at the University of Iowa: Front: Doug Husic, Talya Slaw, Jeff Nagel, Bruce Najor. Back: Brad Meloche, Craig Hennigan, John Koch, Kelly Young, Ron Stevenson. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THIS EVENING’S AWARD DESCRIPTIONS

Don Ritzenhein Award

Don Ritzenhein was the 1965 recipient of the David A. Goldman Award for outstanding first year debaters. In 1967, he was a finalist at the National Debate Tournament and a Quarterfinalist the following year in 1968. He has tirelessly rooted for the program and was crucial in finishing the George W. Ziegelmueller $1 million endowment goal. We have renamed the Goldman award in Don’s honor based on his commitment and contribution to the program over the years. This award recognizes the top first year debate students of the year.

Raymond & Alice Hayes Award

First awarded in 1977, this award recognizes the best second year students on the debate team. Raymond joined the team as a freshman in 1935 and by ’37-38, he was one of the best debaters on the team. In 1938, he served as the coach of the freshman team.

Jane Greco Memorial Award

This award recognizes the most improved debater on the team. This award is given in tribute to Jane, who was the premier debate coach in Michigan at Kimball High School. Many Wayne students came from her program.

Richard Bernstein Award

Several years ago, prominent local attorney and WSU Board of Governor’s member Richard Bernstein attended the WSU DSR-TKA Banquet and was so moved by the students and alumni stories that he established an award to recognize excellence in speech and debate. This award recognizes the team member who is considered the best overall debate teammate.

Jim and Millie Irwin Award Both from Detroit, Jim and Millie attended WSU in the late 50s, early 60s and participated on the speech and debate teams. After graduating with his BA, Jim taught at the secondary level and then was a faculty member in the communication department at U of M-Ann Arbor. He was also the manager of the Michigan high school forensics association. Millie began her debate career debating at Pershing HS under coach Dr. Ed Pappas, who’s with us this evening. Like her husband, Millie also had a strong interest in music and played clarinet in bands. In recent years, Millie has been extremely successful running a temp staffing business in Ann Arbor. Like several of us in the room, Jim and Millie met while on the WSU debate team. Both of them are highly engaged in community outreach and service. This award recognizes excellence in community engagement by a team member.

Alfonso Rodriquez Award

Alfonso was an earlier member of the team, obtaining both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Wayne State, to serve in the elite Office of Special Services (OSS) (the early CIA) during World War II and eventually became Director of Training in the CIA. Alfonso always spoke with fondness of his experiences as a debater and speaker at Wayne State. We give this award to recognize students who excel in academics despite the heavy workload of being a debate team member. Angela Cowan Memorial Award

Angela joined the debate team in 1993 with no prior debate experience. On joining the team, Angela had to ask George who was the Commander in Chief in order to begin her research on a Commander in Chief powers topic. In her four years at Wayne State, she maintained a near 4.0 GPA. Despite having no previous experience, she qualified to the National Debate Tournament twice and even reached the elimination rounds at the NDT her senior year. After receiving an LSAT score in the 98th percentile, she was accepted to Harvard Law. Tragically, before leaving for Harvard, she collapsed and died her job. We give this award to a student who best exemplifies Angela’s commitment despite lack of experience, her academic performance, and her great personality.

Paul Nine Award Paul Nine was a highly successful debater for Wayne State and is a prominent local attorney and remains a substantial supporter of our program, as he is with us tonight. He was on the first team that WSU qualified to the National Debate Tournament in 1961 and he was the 9th speaker in the nation. An award in his name is given to recognize the top overall debaters for the season.

Jack Kay Public Address Award – Dr. Kay was an undergraduate competitor and later coach of both the speech and debate team. He later directed forensics at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In recent years, Dr. Kay held a number of high level administrative positions at Wayne State, Michigan-Flint and Eastern Michigan University. Sadly, Dr. Kay passed away this year. In recognition of Dr. Kay’s work in public address and support of the program, we present an award for the best public address competitor. Shawn McGee Kahle Award Shawn is the Vice President of Corporate Communications at Assurant Inc. Prior to this Shawn has worked at a number of corporate and non-profit organizations in public relations, management and speech writing and consulting. Additionally, she has held more than 20 civic, non-profit and professional board posts. We recognize her outstanding work as a competitor, coach, and long supporter of the program by recognizing the top first year student performance.