The University of North Dakota’s Forensic team is bringing home multiple wins. With the season only a third complete, the team has already competed in four tournaments and won top prizes in three of those tournaments.
At the first two tournaments earlier in the year, Natasha Puetz, Wyndmere, N.D.; Benjamin Olson, Fargo; and Thomas Muscha, Harvey, N.D.; won prizes in poetry, after-dinner speaking, persuasion and impromptu speaking. The team took third place in overall sweepstakes.
In early November, UND’s speakers, Puetz and Muscha, brought home first-place honors in poetry and persuasion. That brought the group’s winning trophy count to 10, so far, including National Forensics Association qualifications and three qualifying legs for the American Forensics Association national tournament.
“We anticipate multiple category qualifications for nationals in both national organizations from a team that just one year ago was newborn.” Said LaRoyce Batchelor, director of the Forensic Team. “The team is called the ‘Phoenix Team’ because, we rose from 20-year-old ashes and serve as a source of motivation, inspiration and resolve for not only our team, but many more within our district.”
The team has grown from three members to six this year.
Most recently, the team competed in Marshall, Minn. Where they placed second and third in poetry and fourth in impromptu. They also received a NFA qualification and two AFA Leg qualifications.
Their next and final tournament for the semester is on Dec. 5-6 at University of Wisconsin, Stout.
