February 19, 2001

WKU Forensics Team Wins Eighth Consecutive
State Title

Bowling Green, Ky. - The William E. Bivin Forensics Society at Western Kentucky University won its eighth consecutive Kentucky Forensics Association championship Feb. 16-17 in Lexington.

Amy Jones, co-captain of the Western team, finished first in all five events she entered to win the individual sweepstakes award and received the Harlen Hamm Award as outstanding student.

Judy Woodring, director of the WKU forensics program, received the Margaret Greynolds Award as outstanding coach.

Jones and Phillip Wininger were the top two finishers in persuasive speaking and will represent Kentucky at the Interstate Oratorical Competition in late April.

Ten Kentucky colleges and universities competed in 11 individual events and parliamentary debate. Western took the top six spots in individual sweepstakes and earned 473.5 points. Murray State finished second. Individual results from Western are:

Amy Jones, a Morehead senior, first in individual sweepstakes, first in after-dinner speaking, first in impromptu speaking, first in informative speaking, first in persuasive speaking and first in rhetorical criticism.

Margaret Au, a freshman from Evansville, Ind., second in individual sweepstakes, first in programmed oral interpretation, third in poetry, fourth in dramatic interpretation, fourth in prose, fourth in rhetorical criticism and fifth in duo interpretation.

Phillip Wininger, a Bowling Green junior, third in individual sweepstakes, second in persuasive speaking, second in rhetorical criticism, third in extemporaneous speaking and third in informative speaking.

Eric Rogers, a Cave City sophomore, fourth in individual sweepstakes, first in prose, third in rhetorical criticism, fourth in impromptu speaking, fourth in persuasive speaking and fifth in extemporaneous speaking.

Corey Alderdice, a Water Valley freshman, fifth in individual sweepstakes, second in duo interpretation, fourth in poetry, fifth in duo interpretation and fifth in after-dinner speaking.

Katie Tyree, a freshman from Plymouth, Ind., sixth in individual sweepstakes, second in duo interpretation, fifth in poetry and sixth in prose.

David Laing, a Louisville junior, first speaker in parliamentary debate, semifinalist in parliamentary debate, third in impromptu speaking, sixth in extemporaneous speaking and sixth in persuasive speaking.

Alisa Ponananta, a Florence junior, second in informative speaking, second in poetry and second in programmed oral interpretation.

David Wilkins, a Bardstown junior, semifinalist in parliamentary debate, second in extemporaneous speaking and fifth in impromptu speaking.

Sarah Sparks, a Morehead junior, fourth in extemporaneous speaking and fourth in informative speaking.

Natalie Croney, a Hopkinsville freshman, first in poetry and second in dramatic interpretation.

Shameka Neely, a sophomore from Hermitage, Tenn., first in dramatic interpretation and third in programmed oral interpretation.

Melissa Vincent, a Bowling Green freshman, second in after-dinner speaking and fifth in programmed oral interpretation.

Trey Barbee, a junior from Colliersville, Tenn., third in dramatic interpretation and fourth in after-dinner speaking.

Tony Milner, an Erlanger freshman, sixth in rhetorical criticism.

For more information, contact Judy Woodring, forensics director, at (270) 745-6340. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu.