May 12, 2022
The Alabama Forensic Council (AFC) recently competed in four national tournaments and brought home a team national championship and seven individual national championships among other awards. During March and April, AFC attended the Pi Kappa Delta Biennial Convention and Tournament, the Asynchronous Speech Championship national tournament, the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament and the National Forensic Association National Championship Tournament
The team had an incredible finish to its tournament season and received more than 100 awards across the four tournaments. Notably, AFC won the national championship for team sweepstakes at the National Forensic Association National Championship Tournament.
Additionally, four students – Alex Brewbaker, Anna Kutbay, Ja’Quacy Minter and Garrett Reynolds – collectively won seven individual national championships this tournament season.
At the Pi Kappa Delta Biennial Convention and Tournament, Alex Brewbaker and Ja’Quacy Minter won the national championship in Duo Interpretation, Minter won the national championship in Poetry Interpretation and Garrett Reynolds won the national championship in After Dinner Speaking. At the Asynchronous Speech Championship, Anna Kutbay won the national championship in Persuasive Speaking, and at the American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament, Kutbay won the national championships in Impromptu Speaking and Informative Speaking. She was also named the individual sweepstakes national champion for the second consecutive year, and Minter was named the individual sweepstakes national runner-up.
Read below for the full list of awards received by UA students at each of the four tournaments.
Pi Kappa Delta Biennial Convention and Tournament
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Ja’Quacy Minter: National Champion in Duo Interpretation with partner Alex Brewbaker, National Champion in Poetry Interpretation, 3rd Place in Program Oral Interpretation, Superior in Dramatic Interpretation, and Excellence in Informative Speaking
Garrett Reynolds: National Champion in After Dinner Speaking, Excellence in Informative Speaking, and Excellence in Persuasive Speaking
Alex Brewbaker: National Champion in Duo Interpretation with partner Ja’Quacy Minter, and Excellence in After Dinner Speaking,
Anna Kutbay: National Runner-Up in Communication Analysis, National Runner-Up in Informative Speaking, Superior in Extemporaneous Speaking, Superior in Impromptu Speaking, and Excellence in Persuasive Speaking
Sophie Akhtar: National Runner-Up in Duo Interpretation with partner Casey Buisson, Superior in After Dinner Speaking, Superior in Informative Speaking, Excellence in Persuasive Speaking, and Excellence in Poetry Interpretation
Casey Buisson: National Runner-Up in Duo Interpretation with partner Sophie Akhtar, Superior in Impromptu Speaking, Excellence in Communication Analysis, and Excellence in Persuasive Speaking
Andrew Schmidt: National Runner-Up in International Public Debate Association (IPDA) Debate, Superior in Extemporaneous Speaking, Excellence in Impromptu Speaking, and Excellence in Persuasive Speaking
Sandhu Aladuwaka: Superior in Communication Analysis, Superior in Impromptu Speaking, Excellence in After Dinner Speaking, and Excellence in Extemporaneous Speaking
Neff Watts: Superior in Prose Interpretation, Excellence in Duo Interpretation with partner Ben Hand, Excellence in Poetry Interpretation, and Excellence in Program Oral Interpretation
Blake Eversmann: Superior in Extemporaneous Speaking, Excellence in After Dinner Speaking, and Excellence in Informative Speaking
Jessica Styres: Superior in After Dinner Speaking, and Superior in Informative Speaking
Rebekah Langford: Superior in After Dinner Speaking, and Excellence in Informative Speaking
Isaac Sherman: Superior in Impromptu Speaking, and Excellence in Extemporaneous Speaking
Ben Hand: Excellence in After Dinner Speaking, Excellence in Duo Interpretation with partner
Neff Watts, Excellence in Extemporaneous Speaking, and Excellence in Impromptu Speaking
Samantha Rodden: Excellence in After Dinner Speaking, and Excellence in Prose Interpretation
Braden Hopkins: Excellence in Persuasive Speaking
Asynchronous Speech Championship National Tournament
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Anna Kutbay: National Champion in Persuasive Speaking, 4th Place in Individual Sweepstakes, 4th Place in Informative Speaking, Semifinalist in Impromptu Speaking, Semifinalist in Communication Analysis, and Quarterfinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking
Ja’Quacy Minter: 4th Place in Dramatic Interpretation, 4th Place in Poetry Interpretation, Semifinalist in Duo Interpretation with partner Alex Brewbaker, and Semifinalist in Informative Speaking
Jessica Styres: National Runner-Up in After Dinner Speaking, Semifinalist in Informative Speaking, and Quarterfinalist in Persuasive Speaking
Sophie Akhtar: 5th Place in Persuasive Speaking, Semifinalist in Duo Interpretation with partner Casey Buisson, Quarterfinalist in After Dinner Speaking, and Quarterfinalist in Informative Speaking
Casey Buisson: 6th Place in Persuasive Speaking, Semifinalist in Duo Interpretation with partner Sophie Akhtar, Quarterfinalist in Dramatic Interpretation, and Quarterfinalist in Prose Interpretation
Garrett Reynolds: 6th Place in After Dinner Speaking, Quarterfinalist in Informative Speaking
Neff Watts: 6th Place in Poetry Interpretation, and Quarterfinalist in Prose Interpretation
Isaac Sherman: Semifinalist in Communication Analysis, Semifinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking, and Quarterfinalist in Impromptu Speaking
Rebekah Langford: Semifinalist in Informative Speaking, and Quarterfinalist in After Dinner Speaking
Alex Brewbaker: Semifinalist in Duo Interpretation with partner Ja’Quacy Minter
Sandhu Aladuwaka: Quarterfinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking
Blake Eversmann: Quarterfinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking, and Quarterfinalist in Impromptu Speaking
Braden Hopkins: Quarterfinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking, and Quarterfinalist in Persuasive Speaking
Bhavana Ravala: Quarterfinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking
Andrew Schmidt: Quarterfinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking
Ben Hand: Quarterfinalist in Impromptu Speaking
American Forensics Association National Speech Tournament
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Anna Kutbay: Individual Sweepstakes National Champion, National Champion in Impromptu Speaking, National Champion in Informative Speaking, 4th Place in Communication Analysis, 4th Place in Extemporaneous Speaking, 5th Place in After Dinner Speaking, and Semifinalist in Persuasive Speaking
Ja’Quacy Minter: Individual Sweepstakes National Runner-Up, National Runner-Up in Duo Interpretation with partner Alex Brewbaker, 3rd Place in Poetry Interpretation, 3rd Place in Prose Interpretation, Semifinalist in Informative Speaking, Quarterfinalist in Dramatic Interpretation, and Quarterfinalist in Program Oral Interpretation
Alex Brewbaker: National Runner-Up in Duo Interpretation with partner Ja’Quacy Minter
Isaac Sherman: 3rd Place in Impromptu Speaking, and Semifinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking
Casey Buisson: 6th Place in Communication Analysis
Garrett Reynolds: Semifinalist in After Dinner Speaking, and Semifinalist in Persuasive Speaking
Sophie Akhtar: Semifinalist in Informative Speaking, and Semifinalist in Persuasive Speaking
Sandhu Aladuwaka: Quarterfinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking, and Quarterfinalist in Impromptu Speaking
Jessica Styres: Quarterfinalist in After Dinner Speaking
National Forensic Association National Championship Tournament
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Anna Kutbay: National Runner-Up in Pentathlon, National Runner-Up in Persuasive Speaking, 4th Place in Extemporaneous Speaking, 6th Place in Informative Speaking, Semifinalist in Rhetorical Criticism, Semifinalist in Impromptu Speaking, Quarterfinalist in After Dinner Speaking, and Quarterfinalist in Prose Interpretation
Ja’Quacy Minter: 8th Place in Pentathlon, National Runner-Up in Poetry Interpretation, 3rd Place in Prose Interpretation, Semifinalist in Informative Speaking, Semifinalist in Program Oral Interpretation, and Octofinalist in Dramatic Interpretation
Casey Buisson: Semifinalist in Rhetorical Criticism, Semifinalist in Persuasive Speaking, Octofinalist in Dramatic Interpretation, Octofinalist in Duo Interpretation with Partner, Sophie Akhtar, and Octofinalist in Prose Interpretation
Sophie Akhtar: Quarterfinalist in Persuasive Speaking, Octofinalist in After Dinner Speaking, and Octofinalist in Duo Interpretation with Partner, Casey Buisson
The Alabama Forensic Council is The University of Alabama’s competitive speech team. As the oldest co-curricular organization on campus, the program aims to respect and build upon the successes of alumni and forge a path for current and future students. AFC provides students with skills and resources to engage in intellectual discovery, enable professional development, strengthen and utilize their unique voices, construct compelling messages, engage in interpersonal and rhetorical exploration and foster community through advocacy and argumentation.
