By Mike Greife,
October 6, 2015
WARRENSBURG, MO – The University of Central Missouri Talking Mules Speech and Debate
Team took first place in Debate Sweepstakes, Individual Events Sweepstakes and Overall
Sweepstakes in regional competition at the Bob R. Derryberry Memorial Speech and Debate
Tournament hosted by Southwest Baptist University Oct. 3-4.
The Talking Mules competed against teams from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin
and Illinois.
“This is the first time during my 15 year tenure as head coach that the Mules have
swept a tournament,” said Jack Rogers, Talking Mules head coach and director of forensics.
“We earned more than 260 points. Our closest competitors were McKendree from Illinois
and Cameron University from Oklahoma, who took second and third, scoring 100 and 96
points respectively.”
In total, the Mules captured 4 team trophies and 32 individual trophies, in this,
their first official season opener.
“We are so proud of our students,” said Nikki Freeman, individual events coach. “They
really pulled together and worked so hard. They couldn’t have performed better.”
In individual events, Samantha Calloway received second and Top Novice and Kaila Todd
received fourth in persuasive speaking; Gavin DePaul placed fourth in after dinner
speaking; Samantha Begley placed first in informative speaking ; Begley also received
first in communication analysis and Johanna Kelly received second place; Brent Mitchell
received first place and Tragan Trahoon third place in prose interpretation; Begley
received sixth place in dramatic interpretation; Jordan Ray received first, Dane Schnake
received third and top novice in Program Oral Interpretation; the duo of Ray and Trahoon
received second place and Mitchell and Todd fourth place in Dramatic Duo, with the
duo of Schnake and Pittenger receiving top novice.
Mitchell received first, Tyler Slinkard, third, Todd fourth, and Kelly seventh place
in Impromptu Speaking. In combined debate, Mitchell received first place and Slinkard,
fourth place; and in pentathlon, Todd earned fifth place and Mitchell, first place.
In Public Forum debate, three teams from UCM advanced to semi-finals. Sam Eames and
Samantha Calloway finished in first place, Tyler Slinkard and Brent Mitchell finished
in second place, and newcomers Arthur Clifford and Dane Schnake finished as semi-finalists.
“We have always had an excellent debate program, but never had enough of a competitive
presence in individual events to combine for a complete sweep,” Rogers added. “In
just a few short years, Nikki Freeman has built up a top notch competitive individual
events program. We finished ninth in the nation in the President’s Cup, Division II
last year at the National Forensics Association’s Tournament.”
The Talking Mules will host one of the largest tournaments in the nation at UCM Oct.
16-18. For information on the Talking Mules, contact Rogers at rogers@ucmo.edu.
