Mavs End Semester with Team Championship!

Hello friends of forensics! The team is thrilled to share that they brought home a championship team trophy from the end-of-semester showcase tournament! For the past several years, the University of Nebraska at Kearney has teamed up with Concordia College of Minnesota to host the last tournament of the semester. On the second day of the tournament, schools are invited to "showcase" their events. Students dust off their qualified events and bring everything they have worked on all semester to the showcase event. Many nationally-ranked schools participate in the tournament. This vibrant tournament features the stiffest competition UNO Forensics has faced all year. UNO is proud to bring home two team championships, one for the Lopers are from Venus tournament (held Saturday, December 3rd) and a championship from the Cobbers are from Mars showcase tournament (held Sunday, December 4th). Here are the results! Showcase Results! Traelon Graham: 1st in Poetry, 2nd in duo with Cole, 2nd in DI, 2nd in Individual Sweepstakes. Cole Evans: 2nd in Poetry, 2nd in Duo with Trae, 3rd in Duo with Tessie, Prose semis. Tessie Stednitz: 1st in POI, 3rd in Duo with Cole, 3rd in Poetry. Stephanie Larsen: 1st in Informative. Lauren Ackerman: 1st in Prose. Tunette Powell: 1st in Persuasion. Niveditha Rajagopalan: 2nd in ADS, 3rd in Extemp. Stephanie Henderson: 2nd in ADS, 2nd in POI, 4th in Poetry. Karlee Currin: 3rd in Prose, 6th in DI. Joy Kathurima: 3rd in ADS. Natalie Schneider: 4th in Impromptu.

Results from Saturday! Cole Evans: 1st in Prose Tessie Stednitz: 1st in POI Traelon Graham: 2nd in POI Stephanie Henderson: 1st in ADS Jacki Miller: 3rd in Extemp Karlee Currin: 5th in Prose Hope Stanley: 7th in Informative

Now that the first semester has drawn to a close, the team is looking forward to some much needed rest (and sledding at Coach Abbie's family farm). Happy holidays everyone! We'll see you again in January!

Kansas in Nebraska Swing

Photo: Stephanie Larsen, Jacki Miller, and Eastin Yates flashing a smile for the camera!

On January 23rd and 24th, the team traveled to Lincoln, NE to compete in the Kansas in Nebraska swing, co-hosted by UNL and K-State. Here are results:

Saturday, January 23rd:
Iven Mendoza: 1st in Duo with Cortney Griffith, 2nd in Poetry, 3rd in Prose, 3rd in POI. Iven also won individual sweepstakes.
Jacki Miller: 1st in Extemp, 4th in Impromptu. Jacki paced 3rd in individual sweepstakes.
Brian Robinson: 1st in Persuasion, 1st in ADS.
Jonna Rebensdorf: 2nd in DI, 4th in Duo with Stephanie Larsen, 6th in Prose
Tessie Stednitz: 5th in Informative
Eastin Yates: 4th in Poetry, 4th in POI
Cortney Griffith: 1st in duo with Iven Mendoza, 5th in DI
Danielle Steen: 2nd in Persuasion

UNO placed 1st as a team.

Sunday, January 24th:

Niveditha Rajagopalan: 1st in Communication Analysis, 4th in Persuasion

Iven Mendoza: 1st in POI, 5th in Prose

Jonna Rebensdorf: 4th in Duo with Stephanie Larsen, 5th in DI

Stephanie Larsen: 3rd in POI, 4th in Duo with Jonna Rebensdorf, 5th in Informative Speaking

Tessie Stednitz: 2nd in Informative Speaking

Brian Robinson: 2nd in Persuasion

UNO placed 3rd as a team on Sunday.

UNO placed 1st in combined team sweepstakes for the weekend.

Results from the Sleet & Sun Swing

On January 16th and 17th Coach Vanessa took Jonna, Jacki, Eastin, Stephanie, Blaine, Iven, Cortney and Danielle to the Sleet & Sun swing in Seward, NE. Here are the results:

Saturday, January 16th:

Blaine Miller placed 1st in Dramatic Interpretation, 2nd in Duo (with Danielle Steen), 2nd in Prose and 6th in Communication Analysis. Blaine also won individual sweepstakes.

Iven Mendoza placed 1st in Duo (with Cortney Griffith) and 2nd in Poetry.

Eastin Yates placed 4th in POI.

Cortney Griffith placed 1st in Duo with Iven.

Jacki Miller placed 6th in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Stephanie Miller and Jonna Rebensdorf placed 4th in Duo.

UNO placed 3rd as a team.

Sunday, January 17th:

Iven Mendoza placed 1st in Duo with Cortney Griffith, 2nd in Poetry, and 6th in Prose.

Eastin Yates placed 2nd in Prose, 3rd in POI, and 6th in Poetry.

Jonna Rebensdorf placed 4th in Prose.

Jacki Miller placed 4th in Extemp.

Stephanie Larsen placed 3rd in Informative Speaking.

Danielle Steen and Blaine Miller placed 4th in Duo.

Blaine Miller won overall individual sweepstakes (Saturday & Sunday combined). The team placed 3rd.