Speech Team Impresses Nationally, Regionally

OMAHA - Despite sending a squad made up mostly of underclassmen, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) competitive speech team, MavForensics, had their best finish yet at one of the nation’s toughest speech competitions.

Following impressive performances on both Saturday, Jan. 16, and Sunday, Jan. 17, MavForensics earned second place overall as a team at the annual “Hell Froze Over” competition, which was held at the University of Texas at Austin.

In addition to the second-place finish, two UNO students were included in the top five overall speakers.

Senior Catie Zaleski was named one of two top speakers for Saturday’s competition, while Freshman Abby Hoffman was named fifth overall. Zaleski was also named second overall for Sunday’s competition.

Zaleski and Hoffman also earned championships in individual categories across both days. Zaleski was named tops in Poetry Interpretation on the first day of the competition and second on day two. Meanwhile, Hoffman swept the top spot in Prose Interpretation both days, a unique accomplishment for a first-year competitor given that Prose is the largest, and often most competitive event.

Other highlights included:

Day One
Second Place in Duo Interpretation – Hoffman and Zaleski
Third Place in Dramatic Interpretation – Abbie Herbert (Junior)
Fourth Place in Dramatic Interpretation – Zaleski

Day Two
Fourth Place in Dramatic Interpretation – Zaleski
Fifth Place in Prose Interpretation – Herbert

Making the second-place finish more impressive, part of the MavForensics team was sent to a separate tournament, the Sleet and Snow Invitational held in Seward, Nebraska.

On the first day of the competition, Freshman Emily Sloan was the champion in Persuasive Speaking. The number of champions doubled the second day, with Freshman Abbie Perry earning first place for Communication Analysis and Sophomore Dylan Morris earning first place for Informative Speaking.

Other top five finishers included:

Day One
Second Place in Persuasive Speaking – Cesar Ariel Magaña-Linares (Freshman)
Third Place in Informative Speaking – Allegra Hardin (Freshman)
Fourth Place in Extemporaneous Speaking – Emilee Sloan
Fourth Place in Communication Analysis –Perry
Fifth Place in Informative Speaking – Morris
Fifth Place in Persuasive Speaking - Hardin

Day Two
Second Place in Persuasive Speaking –Magaña-Linares
Second Place in Impromptu Speaking - Magaña-Linares
Third Place in Persuasive Speaking – Hardin
Fourth Place in Persuasive Speaking – Sloan
Fifth Place in Informative Speaking – Hardin

The next major event for the MavForensics team is the Nebraska Intercollegiate Forensics Association State Tournament, which will be held at Doane College on Saturday, Feb. 13.

Following the state tournament, the team will prepare defend their fifth-place national ranking at the American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament, hosted by the University of Florida in Gainesville from April 1 through April 4.

For more information about MavForensics, visit their homepage at www.unomaha.edu/college-of-communication-fine-arts-and-media/communication/student-involvement/mavforensics/index.php or contact head coach Abbie Syrek at abbie.syrek@gmail.com.

For questions or media requests, please contact:

Sam Petto, UNO Media Relations Coordinator
unonews@unomaha.edu
402.554.2704

or

Charley Reed, UNO Associate Director of Media Relations
unonews@unomaha.edu
402.554.2129

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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