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UNO Speech Team Named Best in Nebraska

MavForensics

The UNO MavForensics team bested three of the top 15 programs in the nation to earn their second state championship in team history

OMAHA – The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (UNO) competitive speech team, MavForensics, are now the top program in the state after securing first place in this weekend’s Nebraska Intercollegiate Forensics Association (NIFA) tournament.

The first-place finish is particularly impressive given that four of the nation’s top 15 programs are from Nebraska, making it one of the most competitive state tournaments in the country.

Teams competing this past Saturday, Feb. 14, at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, included No. 7 University of Nebraska-Lincoln, No. 8 UNO, No. 12 Doane College and No. 14 Hastings College.

This is the second time in school history UNO has been named a state champion.

As part of the team victory, senior Karlee Currin was named the top speaker in the state – the third time in as many years UNO has received the top individual honor – with teammate Catie Zaleski, a junior, coming in second.

In the Oratory category, two UNO students claimed top prizes. Senior Dan Cutter and Sophomore Doug Morris finished first and second, respectively. Both will travel to Georgia this April to compete in the Interstate Oratory Competition, the oldest competitive speech competition in the country. In 2012, UNO senior Tunette Powell was named a national champion at the competition – a first for UNO.

Including Morris’ first-place finish in Oratory, UNO won state championships in five of the competition’s 11 events, including Currin and Zaleski’s first place finish for Duo Interpretation, Currin’s first place finish in Program of Oral Interpretation, Zaleski’s first place finish in Poetry Interpretation, senior Natalie Schneier-Brooks’ first place finish in Communication Analysis.

As the state champions, UNO will once again take on teams from across the nation at this year’s American Forensic Association national tournament, which will take place Friday, April 3, through Monday, April 6.

A full list of individual results for the UNO team is included below. For questions, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at 402.554.2129 or unonews@unomaha.edu.

NIFA RESULTS

Communication Analysis
 - Natalie Schneider-Brooks – State Champion
- Dan Cutter – Third

Duo Interpretation
 - Karlee Currin and Catie Zaleski – State Champions
- T’eyrr Bynum and Dominic Hernandez (Freshman) – Second (Also Top Novice)
- Abbie Herbert and Julia Quigley (Sophomore) – Sixth

Oratory
 - Doug Morris – State Champion
- Dan Cutter – Second

Poetry Interpretation
 - Catie Zaleski – State Champion
- T’eyrr Bynum – Third (Also Top Novice)
- Julia Quigley – Fifth

Program of Oral Interpretation
 - Karlee Currin – State Champion
- Catie Zaleski – Second
- Abbie Herbert – Third
 - Dominic Hernandez – Top Novice

Prose Interpretation
 - Karlee Currin – Second
- Dominic Hernandez – Third (Also Top Novice)
- Catie Zaleski – Fifth
- Julia Quigley – Sixth

After Dinner Speaking
 - Natalie Schneider-Brooks – Third
- Karlee Currin – Fourth
- Bridget Hames – Sixth

Dramatic Interpretation
 - Karlee Currin – Fourth
- Catie Zaleski – Fifth
- Abbie Herbert – Sixth
 - T’eyrr Bynum – Top Novice

Impromptu Speaking
 - Natalie Schneider-Brooks – Third

Informative Speaking
 - Catie Zaleski – Sixth
- Doug Morris – Seventh
- Karlee Currin – Eighth

Individual Sweepstakes
 - Karlee Currin – State Champion
- Catie Zaelski – Second

Team Sweepstakes
 - UNO – State Champions

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha
Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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