Brownson Team Strongly Finishes A Semester of Virtual Competition  

The Brownson Speech and Debate team started the season with a Virtual Fall Retreat in late September.

With a strong finish to competition this semester, Seton Hall University's Brownson Forensics Speech and Debate team within the College of Communication and the Arts ended the Fall 2020 semester with over 150 awards and qualified for 31 events for the national bid to the American Forensics Tournament in April 2021.

In the month of November alone, eight Seton Hall speakers and debaters were awarded 55 awards, including 4 first place Team Sweepstakes and 19 individual first place student awards.

"The Seton Speakers have lived up to the Brownson legacy by making a serious national impression in the first semester of the academic year," said Catherine Zizik, associate professor of communication and founding director of forensics.

At Cornell University's B.R.A.I.N. Tournament on Nov. 7, Seton Hall dominated the speech field by earning the first place Team Sweepstakes Award. Highlights from the event include sophomore Dan O'Connor's first in Extemporaneous Speaking, freshman Michael Kosmas's first in Poetry and Program Interpretation of Literature, freshman Olivia McCue's first in Communication Analysis, junior Emily Feazel's first in Drama and senior Brian Sumereau's first in Persuasion and After Dinner Speaking. Sumereau and Kosmas also earned the Emerging Advocate Award at this event.

Brownson was awarded the District Championship at the Fall American Forensics Association District Championship hosted by Cornell University on Nov. 8, with additional wins in After Dinner Speaking, Communication Analysis, Impromptu and Prose. All competing Seton Hall speakers and debaters received awards at this tournament.

Finishing up the semester was the third and fourth Southern-Northern-Atlantic Forensics Union Charity Ball Tournaments on Nov. 14 and 15. Against 17 schools, Seton Hall earned the Overall Championship in Debate and Speech on Nov 14, as well as the Limited Entry Sweepstakes award. The competition included teams from University of Northern Iowa, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Rutgers University, Emerson University, Cornell University, Liberty University, George Mason University, Bowling Green University, University of Indianapolis, Kent State University, University of Central Florida and Cameron University.

"The success of our team this year is due to the team's dedication to this activity and the messages they have to share. I am inspired by the work they do daily," said Sam Ohrenberger-Hopkins, lecturer of communication and the head coach of Brownson. "Perhaps most importantly is how much they care for each other. They are truly a team and each student has committed themselves to each other's wellbeing."

To learn more about the Brownson Speech and Debate team, visit here.

Categories: Arts and Culture