Your future, our focus
P O W E L L, W y o. - The Northwest College Forensics Team kept its perfect winning streak alive last weekend by claiming community college sweepstakes at the United States Air Force Academy Forensics Classic Feb. 8-10 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
With only one tournament left in its regular season, the NWC team has taken home the top community college award from every tournament attended during the entire academic year. At the Air Force meet, in addition to two-year honors, NWC placed fourth overall among all two- and four-year institutions and also took fourth in individual events sweepstakes overall. Of the 23 teams attending, only Western Kentucky University, Creighton University and Texas Tech University scored more points than NWC, and all three fielded teams that were twice as big as Northwest's.
Bryce Cornatzer of Lovell picked up another noteworthy first for the team by taking first place in After Dinner Speaking. He delivered his speech at the awards banquet. This is the first time an NWC competitor has ever earned first in the tournament's open division of After Dinner Speaking, where college juniors and seniors usually rule.
The team victory in community college sweepstakes was also noteworthy because only eight students traveled to the tournament. Seven of them won awards, which contributed enough points to catapult NWC to the championship despite its small size.
The team's unprecedented season is the overall work of 24 students; half of them are from the Big Horn Basin. They are coached by NWC faculty Duane Fish, Bob Becker and Jeannie Hunt.
A list of student winnings at the Air Force tournament sorted by student hometown follows.
Cody:
Chelsea Hampton - made it to the semi-final rounds in Prose Interpretation with teammate Grant Langdon (Hampton graduated from Cody High School but now calls Greybull home). She was also a semifinalist in the junior division of Parliamentary Debate with her partner Bryce Cornatzer.
Nolan Goubeaux - was named Top Speaker in the junior division of parliamentary debate and was a quarterfinalist in the junior division of Parliamentary Debate with his partner Grant Langdon.
Casper:
Brett Delaney - named ninth speaker in junior division debate, third in after-dinner speaking, second in Duet Interpretation with partner Grant Langdon, first in Duet Interpretation with partner Bryce Cornatzer.
Lovell:
Bryce Cornatzer placed first in After Dinner Speaking and delivered his winning speech at the awards banquet. This is the first time an NWC competitor has ever earned first in the open division of After Dinner Speaking, where junior and senior students usually rule. He also placed first in Duet Interpretation with partner Brett Delaney and second in Prose Interpretation. He won fourth in the Quadrathon, an award recognizing students who compete in at least four events with overall success. Cornatzer was also a semifinalist in the junior division of Parliamentary Debate with his partner Chelsea Hampton, tieing for third with the other NWC team.
Ben Brown was a semifinalist in the junior division of Parliamentary Debate with his partner Zack Eckerdt of Powell, tieing with the other NWC team for third place.
Greybull:
Chelsea Hampton - made it to the semi-final rounds in Prose Interpretation with partner Grant Langdon (Hampton graduated from Cody High School but now calls Greybull home). She was also a semifinalist in the junior division of Parliamentary Debate with her partner Bryce Cornatzer.
Powell:
Grant Langdon placed sixth in junior division debate speaker awards, second in Duet Interpretation with partner Brett Delaney, fourth in Program Oral Interpretation and in Poetry Interpretation. He also made it to the semi-final round in Prose Interpretation. Langdon was also a quarterfinalist in the junior division of Parliamentary Debate.
Zack Eckerdt was a semifinalist in the junior division of Parliamentary Debate with his partner Ben Brown of Lovell, tieing with the other NWC team for third place.