Bradley Wins 17th Consecutive State Championship
March 6, 2017
The Bradley Speech Team brought home its 17th consecutive Illinois Intercollegiate Forensics Association State Championship scoring 297 points besting second place Northwestern University (136 points) with Illinois State University, North Central College, and Southeastern Illinois College rounding out the top five programs in the state.
Bradley won 7 of 11 individual event championships. Abby Surprenant (Sr.) from Marshall, MN took home the overall top speaker state championship. Surprenant also became the first person to win the coveted Curt Byars Oratory State Championship in back-to-back years. This honor makes Surprenant one of only two students who will represent the state of Illinois at the most prestigious and oldest public speaking competition in the United States, the Interstate Oratorical Contest in Lafayette, Louisiana.
National tournaments will take place in April with the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament hosted on Bradley's campus (4/1-3).
Bradley State Champions:
Dakotah Asbury (Sr. Advertising Major from Rochelle, IL)- Prose Interpretation and Program Oral Interpretation State Champion
Sarah Brashear (Jr. Public Relations Major from Omaha, NE) and Greg Huber (So. Business Management Major from Omaha, NE)- Duo Interpretation State Champions
Abby Hanneman (Sr. Television Arts Major from Naperville, IL)- Communication Analysis State Champion
Trijae Johnson (Fr. Communication Major from South Holland, IL)- Poetry Interpretation State Champion
Kyle Powers (So. Public Relations Major from Morehead, KY)- Dramatic Interpretation State Champion
Abby Surprenant (Sr. Organizational Communication Major from Marshall, MN)- Curt Byars Oratory State Champion and Individual Sweepstakes State Champion
Bradley Speech Team