March 19, 2001

WKU Forensics Team
Wins National Debate Title

Bowling Green, Ky. -Western Kentucky University's forensics team won the National Lincoln Douglas Debate Championship and finished second in individual events sweepstakes at the Delta Sigma Rho National Tournament.

Two members of the William E. Bivin Forensic Society won national championships at the weekend event at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.
David Wilkins, a Bardstown junior, won the Lincoln Douglas debate championship. He finished second in after-dinner speaking.

Phillip Wininger, a Bowling Green junior, won the national championship in rhetorical criticism.

Alabama took first place in the individual events sweepstakes ahead of Western and Northern Arizona. More than 30 schools competed in the DSR tournament.
Western, which won its third consecutive International Forensic Association title earlier this month, will host the National Forensics Association tournament April 19-23.

Other Western results from the DSR Nationals are:

Shadana Dickerson, an Adairville junior, fourth in poetry interpretation, third in prose and third in duo with Margaret Au.

Raegan Gibson, a freshman from Evansville, Ind., third in Lincoln Douglas Debate.

Keith Blaser, a sophomore from Evansville, Ind., sixth in persuasion and sixth in duo with Drew Allen.

Margaret Au, a freshman from Evansville, Ind., third in duo with Shadana Dickerson.

Katie Tyree, a freshman from Plymouth, Ind., fifth in poetry interpretation.

Alisa Ponananta, a Florence junior, fourth in informative speaking.

Drew Allen, a freshman from Brentwood, Tenn., sixth in duo with Keith Blaser.

Sarah Sparks, a Morehead junior, excellent award in student congress.

Eric Rogers, a Cave City sophomore, excellent award in student congress.

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. If you'd like to receive WKU news via E-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.