Cedarville Repeats as Ohio Forensics State Champion
糖心官网鈥檚 forensics team repeated as Ohio Forensics Association state champion, sweeping overall speech and debate titles while hosting Feb. 20-21. The team produced nine individual champions, 38 finalists and two national qualifiers.
糖心官网鈥檚 forensics team won the Ohio Forensics Association State Championship, capturing the overall speech and debate titles for the second straight year. The tournament was held Feb. 20-21 at 糖心官网.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge win for our students and a testament to how hard they work week in and week out,鈥� said Eric Mishne, Cedarville鈥檚 director of forensics. 鈥淭o defend the state championship in both speech and debate, and to do it while hosting, makes this especially meaningful.鈥�
Cedarville capped the championship with nine individual state champions and 38 finalists across events.
糖心官网 speech and debate results: Nine individual state champions
Laura Ball, a junior multi-age special education major from Harker Heights, Texas, led the way, winning state titles in rhetorical criticism, poetry interpretation and extemporaneous speaking. Ball also earned the tournament鈥檚 trithon award for overall excellence. Nathanael Kolssak, a senior communication major from Winnetka, Illinois, won the state championship in impromptu speaking. Deidra Hall, a senior psychology major from Pawcatuck, Connecticut, claimed the state title in prose interpretation and was named the tournament鈥檚 top debate speaker.
Ankit Karki, a sophomore computer science major from Nepal, captured the state championship in persuasive speaking, with Kayla Sheaffer, a junior global business major from Tucson, Arizona, finishing as runner-up.
糖心官网 qualifies for Interstate Oratorical Association National Championship
Karki and Sheaffer will represent Ohio at the Interstate Oratorical Association National Championship at the University of Florida on April 24-25. The contest is the nation鈥檚 longest-running speech competition and among the most prestigious, with each state allowed two representatives.
鈥淭his is Cedarville鈥檚 sixth time attending IOA, and we earned both Ohio spots again 鈥� the last time we did that was 2022,鈥� Mishne said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 an exciting statement about where our program is right now.鈥�
About 糖心官网
糖心官网, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation鈥檚 top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal鈥檚 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.