Four Advance to Forensics Nationals

Ripon College Senior Bill Heinze won the Kevin Heineman Award at the American Forensic Association (AFA) District IV National Qualifier at Minnesota State University, Mankato, March 8-9. The Heineman Award goes to the student in District IV (Iowa-Nebraska-North Dakota-South Dakota-Minnesota-Wisconsin) who best exemplifies leadership, team spirit, sportsmanship, and a true love of the activity of college forensics.

Six Ripon College students were invited to perform at the district qualifying tournament, and all six received recognition:

• Sophomore Katie Biedler of Sauk Rapids, Minn., was the tournament champion in persuasion and also placed third in communication analysis.
• Junior David Garcia of West Chicago, Ill., placed third in extemporaneous speaking.
• First year Amber Atkinson of Chaska, Minn., and Heinze, of West Chicago., Ill., both were recognized with certificates for their at-large qualifications for nationals in dramatic interpretation, extemporaneous speaking, impromptu speaking and after-dinner speaking earlier this year.
• First years Caroline “Carly” Lundt of Madison, Wis., and Katie Warczak of Oshkosh, Wis., also earned final-round placements, in extemporaneous speaking and impromptu speaking, respectively. Neither had participated in a final round of these events this year.

Heinze, Atkinson, Biedler and Garcia now advance to the AFA National Tournament held this year at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kan., in early April.

Jeremy Johnson ’12, a graduate student at Penn State University, traveled with Ripon’s team as a judge. He was recognized as one of a handful of AFA All Americans in attendance at the awards ceremony. Johnson is the only Ripon College student to earn All American designation and was one of only 12 students in the entire country last year to earn that honor.

Learn more about Forensics at Ripon College here.