Debate team wins state speech competition and national debate

Two University of North Georgia (UNG) students won the British Parliamentary, or World Format Debate, division at the Pi Kappa Delta National Convention and Tournament from March 14-17 at Tennessee State University in Nashville.

Jemmy Case, a junior majoring in communications with a concentration in organization leadership from Gainesville, Georgia, and Rebecca Pool, a senior majoring in psychology, also from Gainesville, won the championship. It marked the second consecutive year that UNG took home the top prize and its third year UNG was in finals. Last year, Case won the title with partner Jermaine Henry; and Pool was runner up with partner Taylor Robinson.

One month earlier, three UNG students claimed first place in four separate categories Feb. 17, during the 24th annual Georgia Intercollegiate Forensic Association Tournament on UNG's Gainesville Campus.

Elizabeth Bishop captured the overall individual prize known as pentathlon for her performance in the state championship. She placed first in impromptu sales speaking and third in impromptu speaking and poetry interpretation. Bishop is a junior majoring in biology from Gainesville, Georgia.

Two other UNG students won the state championship in two separate divisions. Sebastian Wigley won extemporaneous speaking and Shea Barfield won slam poetry. Wigley is a junior political science major from Gainesville and Barfield is a senior English major, also from Gainesville.

Placing third were Anna Woody in dramatic interpretation and Marie Violette in after dinner speaking. Anna Woody is a dual-enrolled student from Hoschton, Georgia. Violette is a sophomore majoring in communication, media, and journalism from Snellville, Georgia.

The top-three finishes qualified each student to compete in the National Forensic Association National Championship Tournament. Three others qualifying for the national tournament were Dillon Evans and Alison Gaynor in impromptu speaking and Wigley in public narrative speaking. Evans is a freshman modern language major from Columbus, Georgia; and Gaynor is a freshmen business administration major from Dallas, Georgia.

The qualifiers and top finishes led to the UNG Debate Forensics Interpretation (Debate and Speech) Club finishing in second place as a team with its 25 student competitors from the Dahlonega and Gainesville chapters. This is the fourth consecutive time UNG has placed second. Berry College won the overall team prize this year.

UNG will host the state championship again in 2019.