At the regional qualifier, the varsity team took second and advanced to
championship series. At the championship series, the team placed sixth and
earned the first bid for K-State to participate at the AMTA National Championship.
Of the 500 mock trial teams across the country, only 48 advance to this elite stage.
First year competitor Hale Weirick won a best witness award.
To better prepare students to use their communication skills beyond college, the Department of Communication Studies offers a wide array of learning experiences that occur outside the formal classroom that include internships, research projects and study abroad programs. Additionally, students can participate in one of the three nationally ranked academic competition teams housed by the Communication Studies Department. The K-State Debate, Forensics and Mock Trial teams all earned national acclaim for outstanding performances during the 2013-2014 season.
Forensics
The K-State Forensics team finished 20th in the nation at the AFA-NIET. Seniors Davis Mattek and Adam Mason advanced to SF in Impromptu and QF in Informative, respectively. Assistant Director of Forensics, Darren Epping, was honored by being named the 2014 AFA-NIET Young Coach of the Year. And at the Interstate Oratorical Contest, Davis Mattek was a semi-finalist. It was a successful year and it sets the team up for building on the future.
Debate
The K-State Debate team traveled throughout the year to 16 different tournaments with 17 debaters and 5 graduate students. Michael Mays and Kyle Klucas finished 17th at the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) national tournament, placing ahead of 150 other teams. The team also was invited to participate at the National Debate Tournament. June Ramirez and Sarah McMillin-Beckman also reached elimination rounds at CEDA. Our newest Wildcats also had strong showings: Super duo Jasmine Stidham and Lucia Scott finished second at the prestigious National Junior Division Debate Tournament and Josh Karimi and Bryan Stebbins reached elimination rounds.
Mock Trial
The K-State Mock Trial team broke the national bubble for the first time in team history by finishing the year ranked 36th in the nation. At the Drake University Invitational the varsity team placed seventh overall. The varsity team placed fourth overall in the Thunderbird Invitational Tournament at the Air Force Academy.