Miami's forensics team places in top 10 at national tournament

Miami University senior Elizabeth Miller was named national champion in rhetorical criticism during the National Forensics Association annual tournament held in April. In addition, Miami's forensics team placed 10th in the open team sweepstakes.

Ninety colleges and universities competed in the spring tournament held at Illinois State University. Miller, a communication and linguistics double major, competed in a field of 128 students.

Also competing for Miami were Rahul Guha, a senior quantitative economics major, who placed fifth in editorial impromptu out of an initial field of 88 competitors; Sankalp Malhotra, a senior microbiology major, placed in the quarter finals (top 24) of impromptu speaking and in the top 24 of the semi-finals of extemporaneous speaking; Sarvesh Chelvanambi, senior zoology major, placed in the top 24 of the impromptu speaking quarter-finals.

Miller’s winning placement is the 23rd national championship for Miami’s forensics team at the association’s national tournament. During the year, Miami’s forensics team, directed by Todd Holm, competed in several national tournaments, receiving more than 35 national awards.

Chelvanambi, who was crowned Ohio state champion in February, also placed in the top 12 at the Interstate Oratory Association Tournament held in Harrisonburg, Va.

The team also won the national title of parliamentary debate at the Delta Sigma Rho – Tau Kappa Alpha National Forensics Tournament in March by having both teams in the final round take first and second place. The team’s freshmen also did well this year. Alexander Nixon, a diplomacy and global politics major, was the national champion in extemporaneous speaking at the Novice National Tournament held at the University of Indiana. Evan Swhear, business major, was the national champion in prose interpretation.