AUSTIN, Texas—The University of Texas at Austin Speech Team earned a fifth national title in Impromptu Speaking at the 2007 American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament. The team placed second in the Team Sweepstakes category.
Senior Jill Collum was recognized as The University of Texas at Austin’s 25th American Forensic Association National Champion, winning Impromptu Speaking. This was the third consecutive year a University of Texas at Austin student has won the championship in that category. Additionally, two University of Texas students—Collum and senior Rina Shah—were recognized as American Forensic Association All-Americans, an honor bestowed on only 17 students this year.
Thirty-three entries advanced to the national quarter-final rounds with 16 of the team’s 21 students qualifying for individual awards. Individual awards are as follows:
College of Communication:
Donald Collier
National Quarter-finalist – Prose
National Semi-finalist – After Dinner Speaking
Eric Cullather
National Finalist – Prose (6th Place)
National Semi-finalist – Program Oral Interpretation
Jesse Gall
15th Overall Speaker (Individual Sweepstakes)
National Finalist – Duo Interpretation (5th)
National Semi-finalist – Duo Interpretation
National Quarter-finalist – Prose
National Quarter-finalist – Dramatic Interpretation
National Quarter-finalist – After Dinner Speaking
Shivali Goudar
National Quarter-finalist – Dramatic Interpretation
National Quarter-finalist – Communication Analysis
Aviva Pinchas
National Semi-finalist – Duo Interpretation
Merry Regan
14th Overall Speaker (Individual Sweepstakes)
National Finalist – Informative Speaking (6th)
National Finalist – Impromptu Speaking (4th)
National Semi-finalist – Extemporaneous Speaking
National Quarter-finalist – After Dinner Speaking
College of Liberal Arts:
Theresa Downer
National Quarter-finalist – Prose
National Quarter-finalist – Dramatic Interpretation
Nicole Kreisberg
National Finalist – Duo Interpretation (5th)
Caetlin Mangan
National Semi-finalist – Prose
National Semi-finalist – Poetry
Ashley Tinnell
National Semi-finalist – Dramatic Interpretation
Austin Wright
National Quarter-finalist – Extemporaneous Speaking
McCombs School of Business:
Jill Collum
13th Overall Speaker (Individual Sweepstakes)
National Champion – Impromptu Speaking
National Semi-finalist – Extemporaneous Speaking
National Semi-finalist – Communication Analysis
National Quarter-finalist – Persuasive Speaking
AFA All-American
Ashley Hatcher
National Finalist – Extemporaneous Speaking (6th)
National Quarter-finalist – Impromptu Speaking
Sandip Gupta
National Finalist – Impromptu Speaking (6th)
Rina Shah
National Semi-finalist – Communication Analysis
AFA All-American
National Student Representative
College of Natural Sciences:
Bimal Patel
16th Overall Speaker (Individual Sweepstakes)
National Semi-finalist – Prose
National Semi-finalist – Poetry
National Quarter-Finalist – Informative Speaking
National Quarter-finalist – Program Oral Interpretation
Other students invited to participate in the tournament but not advancing to elimination rounds include Angelica Davis, Ryan Castillo, Margaret Yancey and Mary Kate Raffetto from the College of Communication, and Tapashya Ghosh from the McCombs School of Business.
Six of the top 10 schools recognized at the tournament were coached in part by alumni of The University of Texas at Austin Department of Communication Studies.
The tournament, sponsored by the American Forensic Association, was hosted at Minnesota State University at Mankato. The 2008 tournament will be hosted by The University of Texas at Austin next April.
Sponsored by the university’s College of Communication, and housed in the Department of Communication Studies, the Individual Events speech team has won 25 individual national titles since it was established 19 years ago, making it the second winningest program in the history of the American Forensic Association. For more information, visit UT Forensics Portal.
For more information contact: Martin "Randy" Cox, 512-471-1957; Erin Geisler, College of Communication, 512-475-8071.
