College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

Pictured in the photo: (Back row left to right) Aly Johnson, Somtoo Nkurumeh, Hayden Johnson and Kilian Reck. (Middle row left to right): Tess Segal, Ryder Hebert, Sophie Todaro, Kirsten Eversmann, Victory Okoroji and Finn Larson. (Front Row left to right) Jade Ismail, Aquilla Dunn, Mia Carver, Joie Willoughby, Elizabeth Allen, Sydney Rettig and Karisha Petty.

WKU Forensics placed first in team sweepstakes at the Crimson Classic hosted by the University of Alabama on October 11 and 12. 

Combining two one-day competitions in a single location over a weekend, the tournament was a “swing.”

Junior Jade Ismaill from Lafayette, Louisiana finished ahead of all other competitors winning individual sweepstakes on both halves of the swing. Ismail swept the competition winning four events, including Duo Interpretation where her two pieces took both first and second place with partners Finn Larson of Burns, Minnesota, and Aquilla Dunn of Apple Valley, Minnesota, on day one. During the second half of the swing, Ismail, repeated her performance with three more wins in Duo Interpretation, Program Oral Interpretation and Prose Interpretation, and final rounds in Impromptu and After Dinner Speaking.

The cumulative efforts of Ismail’s remarkable season opener earned her the Holle Award for Excellence in Forensic Competition and a $10,000 prize. Named after Everett Holle, a graduate of the University of Alabama and a 40-year veteran of the television industry, the Holle Award is given to the student who earns the most points across five different events in each of the three genres of Competitive Public Speaking: Interpretation of Literature, Public Address and Limited Preparation.

Director of Forensics Ganer Newman said, “While our program emphasizes the team effort, it’s crucial to recognize the individual excellence of Jade Ismail. Starting in July, Jade worked with her coaches to prepare six exceptional performances. [All while being] highly involved in our campus community, in the classroom and working. It’s rewarding to see all that effort literally pay off.”

Sophomore Tess Segall of Weston, Florida, finished fifth in individual sweepstakes winning Communication Analysis and taking third in After Dinner Speaking and Persuasive Speaking in the first half and winning Communication Analysis and Persuasive Speaking the second half.

Director of Forensics Ganer Newman added, “We are grateful to the University of Alabama for hosting such a spectacular event and to all the phenomenal students who participated. The coaching staff was exceptionally proud of the way our students worked this season to achieve such an exceptional result. This is exactly where we hope to be at this point in the season, and it’s a testament to our students and coaches.”

As a team, WKU placed above all 16 other teams in team sweepstakes, which is the cumulative points earned across a university’s entry. WKU finished ahead of second place Cornell University and third place Bradley University.

Results from the Crimson Classic are as follows:

After Dinner Speaking:  Jade Ismail, 1^st; Tess Segall, 3^rd; Kirsten Eversmann, of Harrisburg, Illinois, 6^th.

Communication Analysis: Tess Segall, 1^st; Aquila Dunn, 2^nd.

Duo Interpretation: Jade Ismail and Finn Larson, 1^st; Jade Ismail and Aquilla Dunn, 2^nd.

Dramatic Interpretation:  Hayden Johnson of Burnsville, Minnesota, 1^st; Elizabeth Allen of White House, Tennessee, 2^nd; Victory Okoroji of Houston, Texas, 3^rd; Mia Carver of Morehead, Kentucky, 5^th.

Extemporaneous Speaking: Ryder Hebert of Madison, Mississippi, 5^th.

Impromptu Speaking: Ryder Hebert, Top 12.

Informative Speaking: Kirsten Eversmann, 3^rd.

Persuasive Speaking: Tess Segall, 3^rd.

Poetry Interpretation: Victory Okoroji, 4^th; Finn Larson, 6^th.

Program Oral Interpretation: Jade Ismail, 1^st.

Prose Interpretation: Jade Ismail, 1^st; Elizabeth Allen, 2^nd.

Results from the US Alumni Swing are as follows:

After Dinner Speaking:  Kirsten Eversmann, 4^th; Jade Ismail, 5^th.

Communication Analysis: Tess Segal, 1^st; Aquila Dunn, 2^nd; Finn Larson, 6^th.

Dramatic Interpretation:  Elizabeth Allen, 1st; Sydney Rettig of Perrysburg, Ohio, 5^th.

Duo Interpretation: Aquilla Dunn and Jade Ismail, 1^st; Finn Larson and Jade Ismail, 4^th.

Impromptu Speaking: Jade Ismail, 3^rd.

Informative Speaking: Elizabeth Allen, 4^th; Kirsten Eversmann, 7^th; Sydney Rettig, 8^th.

Persuasive Speaking: Tess Segal, 1^st.

Poetry Interpretation: Victory Okoroji, 2^nd; Finn Larson, 4^th.

Program Oral Interpretation: Jade Ismail, 1^st.

Prose Interpretation: Jade Ismail, 1^st; Elizabeth Allen, 2^nd; Somtoo Nkurumeh of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 6^th.

More: Check out the WKU Forensics Facebook page or follow @wkuforensics  and @DebateWku on X/Twitter.

Contact: Ganer Newman, (270) 745-6340

-- WKU –

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.