Ripon College Days

Media Credit: Photo by Sal De Los Angeles Speak up. Senior Michelle Okimoto and sophomore Brenda Nemetz perform duo interpretation at the state championships. [Click to enlarge]

Ripon College's nationally recognized forensics team, facing the toughest competition they've had all season, continued their winning ways and snatched second place, falling just short of rival powerhouse UW-Eau Claire, who is ranked fifth in the nation.

Ripon College hosted the Wisconsin Collegiate Forensic Association State Tournament this past Saturday, where they faced competition from colleges and universities from all over the state. In addition to taking home a team trophy, the orators also had several impressive individual performances.

Junior Guy McHendry topped the team and the rest of the competitors with a first place victory in extemporaneous speaking, coupled with two third place finishes in impromptu speaking and rhetorical criticism.

Sophomore Liz Leach had a near victory, tying for first place in informative speaking. However, the tie was broken based upon prelimary round speaking points. Leach walked away with five total final round performances, placing seventh in original oratory, fifth in after-dinner speaking, fourth in rhetorical criticism and fifth in extemporaneous speaking.

"Our season [is going] fantastically. We've taken home team trophies from every competition this year," says Leach. "We got a large number of individual awards in competition, more than in past years. We consistently place high in final rounds."

Sophomore Brenda Nemetz netted four final round spots, finishing in the top six in prose interpretation, duo with senior Michelle Okimoto, program of oral interpretation and poetry.

Okimoto also finished fourth in prose interpretation.

Senior Colin Rafferty finished his fourth state championship with final round spots in impromptu speaking and a second place finish in program of oral interpreation.

"We are pretty pleased about the team placing second," says Rafferty. "We've finished second every year since I've been here, so it's nice to maintain that ranking."

Senior Jharick Shields was triple-entered in the second set of finals, placing well in impromptu speaking, poetry, and a second place finish in rhetorical criticism.

First year Amy Dorman rounded out the Ripon victories with final round spots in poetry and dramatic interpretation.

The team entered state coming off a fifth place team finish at the the Grace Walsh Invitational hosted by UW-Eau Claire the weekend prior to state.

Top finishers at the invitational included Shields with first place in extemporaneous speaking and Rafferty with a championship in persuasion.

The forensics team will travel to UW-Whitewater this Saturday for its final regular-season competition. After that they head to Dayton, Ohio in April for the National Forensics Association tournament at the University of Dayton.

Despite an already hugely successful season, Leach still has a goal she would like for herself and the team to achieve: competing well at nationals. "I'd like to make it into the elimination rounds at nationals," she says, "and bring home a team sweepstakes trophy."

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