In their first national appearance for the 2016-17 season, Sterling College Debate and Forensics traveled to the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament March 22-25 in Boise, Idaho, where two students took home awards in forensics.

Wesley Lowrey of Topeka, Kansas, brought home two awards, excellent ratings in both extemporaneous speaking and broadcast journalism.

Dara Quastad of Inman, Kansas, earned an excellent rating in persuasive speaking, making it the third straight competition in 3 weeks to earn an award in this area.

Two students competed in Lincoln Douglas debate. Bryce Harner of Hutchinson, Kansas, finished 4-2 and Gage Brookman of Hutchinson, Kansas, finished 3-3.

In IPDA, Bethany Jenkins finished with a 2-4 record.

Quastad also traveled to Peoria, Illinois, this past weekend to participate in the AFA National Tournament. Ken Troyer, coach of Sterling College Debate and Forensics, said, “I’m incredibly proud of Dara for having both qualified and competed at this level of competition, considering that a semester ago her only public speaking experience had been taking a public speaking class.”

Quastad will attend the National Interstate Oratorical competition held at the University of Lafayette in Louisiana April 20-22.

“It is a very significant honor to be invited to the National Interstate Oratorical competition,” said Troyer. “Only the top two persuasive speakers from each state are invited to this oldest competitive speaking competition in the U.S. Dara is the second Sterling College student to qualify for the interstate oratorical competition in Sterling College history, which is impressive, but also amazing as she is in her first year of competition.”

Brookman and Harner will travel to the NFA National Tournament in Eau Claire, Wisconsin April 14-18 to compete in Lincoln Douglas debate for their third year in a row.

“Gage and Bryce are going to be tough competition this year, having had three years of experience going into the event which is rare. They work well together and will be a great team as they prepare for the events throughout the day. I look forward to seeing how they fare this year,” said Troyer.

Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year college located in Sterling, Kansas, with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. For more information, visit www.sterling.edu.