Speech and debate team takes fourth in St. Louis

The Simpson College speech and debate team took fourth place at the virtual Webster University Gorlok Gala held Jan. 29-31, the first competition of 2021.

Simpson placed fourth in both debate team points and combined speech and debate team points. The three-day competition featured 64 colleges and universities from across the country. 

The duo of Elise Sturgeon and Kylie Doupnik turned in the top performance of the tournament, winning the duo improvisation category of the speech competition. Sturgeon and Doupnik also finished in the top 16 in parliamentary debate and Doupnik earned the Excellence in Persuasion award.

Mo Marks took home multiple honors, finishing as a semifinalist in impromptu speech, runner up in junior varsity IPDA and placing sixth in extemporaneous speech. 

Simpson collected a pair of individual top speaker awards on the debate side. Dylan Seibel was named top speaker in public forum debate and Scott Krueger earned the same honor in junior varsity parliamentary debate. 

Speech Results
Duo Improv Champions: Elise Sturgeon and Kylie Doupnik
Excellence in Persuasion: Kylie Doupnik
Semifinalist, Impromptu: Mo Marks
Fourth Place, Pentathlon, Kylie Doupnik
Sixth Place, Extemporaneous: Mo Marks

Debate Results
Public Forum Debate Top Speaker: Dylan Seibel
Public Forum Fifth Speaker: Danielle Blake
Parliamentary Debate Octofinalists: Elise Sturgeon and Kylie Douopnik
Open NFA-LD Double-Octofinalist: Andrew Flory
JV IPDA Runner-Up: Mo Marks
JV Parliamentary Debate Runner Up: Malcolm Smart and Scott Krueger
JV Parliamentary Debate Top Speaker: Scott Krueger
JV Parliamentary Debate Fourth Speaker: Malcolm Smart

About Simpson College
Simpson College is a private, liberal arts college located in Iowa with campuses in Indianola, West Des Moines and online. Founded in 1860, the college has 1,268 undergraduate and graduate students. Simpson offers 74 majors, minors and programs in addition to three graduate programs. Outside of the classroom, Simpson is a member of the NCAA Division III American Rivers Conference, hosts eight Greek houses on campus and sponsors many extracurricular options for student involvement.
 
Contact Information
Cathy Cole, Vice President for Marketing and Strategic Communication
Direct: 515-961-1595
Email: cathy.cole@simpson.edu