NSCM Debate Team Makes Top 10 Finish In National Competition
The UCF Speech and Debate Team placed fifth overall in a national competition recently, landing them in the top 10% of schools participating in the 2022 National Pi Kappa Delta (PKD) Convention and Tournament.
In addition to the overall top finish, the UCF debate team received the R. David Ray Outstanding Young Chapter award for schools new to PKD. UCF joined in 2017.
Associate Instructor Jonathan Conway has built the UCF debate team over the past eight years and currently serves as director of forensics (the collective term for both speech and debate.)
“The people involved in Pi Kappa Delta are truly unique,” said Conway, who was elected at the March event to a two-year term as At-Large Representative. “A lot of organizations claim to foster student education but then emphasize unhealthy competition between its members. Pi Kappa Delta is more of a celebration of speech and debate where everyone is encouraged to thrive.”
Said Conway: “You will never feel like an outsider at PKD,” said Conway. “Debate is an incredibly high stress activity. We try to minimize that feeling for students as much as we can.”
The following are the individual student winners in the competition:
Debate Schools Sweepstakes – UCF received a Superior Rating: 4th place out of debate only schools
Speech Schools Sweepstakes – UCF received an Excellent Rating: 13th place out of speech only schools
UCF was entered in the International Public Debate Divisions
Open Varsity Division
Sam Schepps – Excellent Rating
Junior Varsity Division – All UCF entries in this division received Superior Awards and placed as follows:
Jessica Siles and Niamh Harrop – Co-National Champions [They both won their semi-final rounds and advanced to finals; declared co-national champions because they were from the same school – UCF!]
Mekaelia Morgan – Semifinalist
Madeline Magness – Quarterfinalist
Seth Nimbargi – Quarterfinalist
UCF was entered in 12 of the 20 Speech Events
Extemp Speaking
Jessica Siles – Superior Rating
Jordyn Collis – Superior Rating
Persuasion
Jordyn Collis – Excellent Rating
Impromptu Speaking
Jessica Siles – Excellent Rating
Lexi Wajda – Excellent Rating
Niamh Harrop – Excellent Rating
Discussion
Jordyn Collis – Excellent Rating
Interviewing
Jordyn Collis – Excellent Rating