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BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ Speaking Bearcats were crowned the overall champion at the Missouri Mule/Dale Carnegie Swing speech and debate tournament Oct. 20-22, hosted by the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

The tournaments drew teams from nearly 20 colleges and universities from Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Illinois.

Speaking Bearcats tournament highlights included:

• Jordan Martin (freshman) – quarterfinalist in parliamentary debate (with junior Mikayla Throne); third in prose, fourth in duo interpretation (with Throne), fifth in dramatic interpretation and fourth in program of oral interpretation.

• Mikayla Throne (junior) – second-place speaker award and quarterfinalist in parliamentary debate (with Martin), sixth in prose interpretation and third in poetry interpretation. Throne also finished fourth in the pentathlon – a competition consisting of the combined scores in five or more events across all three individual event genres.

• Jeffrey Metzler (sophomore) – seventh in after-dinner speaking.

• Mariah Gilmore (sophomore) – sixth in program of oral interpretation, fourth in prose.

• Reece Tabor (senior) – semifinalist in parliamentary debate (with senior Kensey Slone), second in informative speaking, fourth in duo interpretation (with freshman Katelyn Bloom).

• Kensey Slone (senior) – fourth-place speaker in parliamentary debate, third in impromptu, third in program of oral interpretation, second in extemporaneous and fifth in the pentathlon for the Mule.

• Tiana Brownen (senior) – second in public forum debate (with junior Marisa Mayo), second-place speaker in public forum debate, sixth in impromptu speaking, fifth in extemporaneous, third in communication analysis, second in persuasion and third in the pentathlon.

• Marisa Mayo (junior) – fourth in public forum debate speaking, seventh in extemporaneous, fifth in persuasive and tournament champion in both communication analysis and impromptu speaking. Her results from the first half of the competition secured her first place in the pentathlon.

• Katelyn Bloom (freshman) and Breanna Prater (freshman) – semifinalists in open (varsity) public forum debate. Bloom was the sixth-place speaker in open (varsity) public forum debate and fourth in duo interpretation with Tabor.

Dale Carnegie Tournament

• Martin – second in dramatic interpretation, sixth in program of oral interpretation, fourth in prose and fourth in duo interpretation with Throne.

• Andrew DeShon – fifth in impromptu, his first time to advance to the elimination rounds in that event.

• Throne – sixth in prose, fifth in poetry, second in program of oral interpretation, fourth in duo interpretation (with Martin) and third in the pentathlon.

• Gilmore – fourth in program of oral interpretation.

• Tabor – third in informative, third in duo interpretation with Bloom and second in communication analysis.

• Mayo – fifth in extemporaneous, fourth in informative, fourth in communication analysis, third in persuasive and second in the pentathlon.

• Slone – fifth in informative speaking, third in extemporaneous speaking and fifth in the pentathlon.

• Bloom – third in prose and third in duo interpretation (with Tabor).

• Prater – sixth in impromptu and fourth in persuasive.

• Brownen – fourth in extemporaneous, second in impromptu, second in persuasion and tournament champion in communication analysis. She was named tournament champion in the pentathlon for the second half of the swing.

The Speaking Bearcats will head to McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill., for their next competition Nov. 11-12. For more information about Å·ÃÀÊÓƵ Speech and Debate, please contact Dr. David Bailey, director of forensics, at dbailey@Å·ÃÀÊÓƵniv.edu.

CUTLINE: (Front row, left to right): Andrew DeShon, Tiana Brownen, Marisa Mayo and Katelyn Bloom. (Back row, left to right): Kensey Slone, Mikayla Throne, Jeffrey Metzler, Mariah Gilmore, Breanna Prater, Jordan Martin, Yani McHugh and Reece Tabor.

*Published: 11-2-17