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The Boise State Speech and Debate Team finished in second place in overall sweepstakes at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament March 19-21, just behind overall sweepstakes champion Ohio University. Boise State competitors Ben Bishop, Kate Henry and Regan Charlton took home three of the ten PKD All-American honors that were awarded at the tournament.

The Talking Broncos competed with some of the best forensics programs in the country at the tournament hosted by Louisiana State University in Shreveport, La. Other teams included Southwest Baptist University (the winner of 15 of the last 17 PKD nationals), Webster University, William Carey University, Bowling Green State University, the University of Oklahoma, Texas A&M University and the College of Idaho.

“This was one of the larger PKD national tournaments in recent years with 68 schools representing a cross section of the very best forensics programs in the country,” said David Bailey, director of forensics at Boise State. “The team’s strong finish in sweepstakes and the many individual awards they won in competition with the elite forensics programs represented at the tournament are indicative of the team’s outstanding dedication and work ethic. I am proud of them.”

Boise State was one of only a few programs to receive a superior rating in all three sweepstakes categories—debate, individual events and overall.

Here are some of the individual awards won by Broncos:
• Bishop earned a superior award in legislative debate, was voted top legislator by his fellow competitors and took home an excellent rating in persuasive speaking.
• Henry earned excellent awards in broadcast journalism, program of oral interpretation and duo interpretation with partner Erik Sande.
• Charlton captured the top superior awards (national champion) in informative speaking and open international public debate and earned an excellent award in communication analysis.
• Aaron Olson took home superior awards in informative speaking, persuasive speaking and informative speaking and an excellent award in after dinner speaking.
• Ben Larsen earned good awards in prose interpretation, program of oral interpretation and dramatic interpretation.
• Paul Wardwell earned a superior award in informative speaking and an excellent award in after dinner speaking.
• George Fenton earned a superior award in persuasive speaking, excellent awards in extemporaneous speaking and informative speaking, and a novice award in parliamentary debate with partner Dawn Gillin.
• Gillin also earned excellent awards in impromptu speaking and informative speaking.
• Debra Groberg finished first in junior international public debate – earning a superior rating in the event — and earned an excellent award in informative speaking.
• Emil Huseynov earned excellent awards in communication analysis and informative speaking.
• Parliamentary debate partners Caley Christian and Reggie Holmquist earned a superior award in novice parliamentary debate.
• Ernest Dunlap earned an excellent award in after dinner speaking.
• Randi Robinson earned a superior award in novice international public debate.

The team also placed second and earned an excellent rating in the team oral history event, where a team can submit a video detailing some part of their chapter history.

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