Speech team grabs gold in Browning

Led by four individual first-place finishes, the Whitefish speech and debate team took home gold in Browning.

The duo of Zach Ade and Abby Lowry took first in public forum debate, while Anna Cook (original oratory), Elizabeth Campbell (informative speech) and Logan Mercer (humorous oral interpretation) all grabbed first in their respective events.

Whitefish finished ahead of Columbia Falls and Libby.

“This was a solid confidence-building performance for us,” head coach Sara Mueller said. “Several students competed for the first time or in different events and got the chance to stretch their wings. We’re looking forward to continuing this momentum into the remainder of our season.”

Whitefish is hosting the team’s next tournament on Dec. 2.

Anyone interested in volunteering as a judge can call Mueller at 406-862-8620 or email muellers@whitefishschools.org.

Individual results:

Public forum debate: 1. Zach Ade and Abby Lowry, 4. Hayden Brandt and Mary Hooks

Lincoln-Douglas debate: 2. Lilly Butts, 3. Ian Caltabiano, 7. Tyler Dunnagan

Extemporaneous: 3. Abigail Bowden, 6. Josh Harvey, 7. Grayson Butler

Impromptu: 2. Josie Johnson, 6. Kelsey MacDonald

Memorized public address: 4. Aidan Reid

Original oratory: 1. Anna Cook, 3. Grace Benkelman, 7. Bethany Barnes

Informative: 1. Elizabeth Campbell, 8. Brendan Gibson

Humorous oral interpretation: 1. Logan Mercer, 5. Aidan McMahan, 6. Luca Welle

Dramatic oral interpretation: 2. Ella Shaw, 4. Lucy Schindler, 5. Naya Brigette

Sweepstakes 1. Whitefish, 2. Columbia Falls, 3. Libby