The Hastings Bronco Forensics Team picked up its third win of the season last weekend at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, surpassing the team's achievements in the last few years. The win was backed by 24 awards, three championships, and adding three more qualifications to the AFA-NIET; the total number events are up to 18.

Senior Curt Casper, Lexington, Neb., added Persuasive Speaking, junior Corey Reutlinger, Lexington, Neb., in Informative Speaking, and first-year Jose Jimenez, Lexington, Neb., in Program Oral Interpretation. Casper was awarded top individual speaker the first day of the tournament and first-Year Jenny Linne was awarded second. The team will be heading to Wyoming this next weekend.

Saturday, January 22
Senior Curt Casper, Lexington, Neb.  2nd in Dramatic Interpretation
 3rd in Persuasive Speaking
 4th in Extemporaneous Speaking

Junior Corey Reutlinger, Lexington, Neb. 1st in Poetry
 2nd in Informative
 2nd in Persuasive Speaking
 
First-year Jenny Linne, Bailey, Colo. 2nd in Communication Analysis
 3rd in Dramatic Interpretation
 5th in Poetry

First-year Jose Jimenez, Lexington, Neb. 1st in Program Oral interpretation
 4th in Dramatic Interpretation

First-year Jared Buskirk, Holdrege, Neb. 3rd in Impromptu Speaking

Senior Curt Casper received 1st in Individual Sweepstakes* and first-year Jenny Linne received 2nd in Individual Sweepstakes.* The team took 2nd place in Team Sweepstakes.

Sunday, January 23
Junior Corey Reutlinger, Lexington, Neb. 3rd in Poetry
 3rd in Persuasive Speaking

Junior Mike Dvorak, Muskogee, Okla. 4th in Informative Speaking

Sophomore Hannah Duke, Colorado Springs, Colo. 7th in After-Dinner Speaking

First-year Jose Jimenez, Lexington, Neb. 2nd in Program Oral Interpretation
 3rd in Dramatic Interpretation

First-year Jared Buskirk, Holdrege, Neb. 3rd in Extemporaneous Speaking
 6th in Impromptu Speaking

First-year Jenny Linne, Bailey, Colo. 4th in Poetry
 5th in Communication Analysis

The Team took 2nd in Team Sweepstakes.
For the entire weekend, the team took 1st in Team Sweepstakes.

*Must have 4 events to be entered

The Bronco Forensics team has always seen national success at the American Forensics Association-National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET). The team has been ranked in the Top 20 for 11 of the last 12 years and in the Top 15 for five of the last six years. The team has had 11 Individual Sweepstakes Award Winners since 1990. Since 1998, 43 students have achieved a quarterfinal at the AFA-NIET, 21 students have advanced to semifinals, 13 students have placed in finals at nationals and four speeches have achieved championships. Six students have been named to the AFA-All American Team placing Hastings College third in the nation for number of students with this honor. The team is ranked as the number one undergraduate college for the last decade at the AFA-NIET (Sternhagen, 2010).

The AFA-NIET will be held at the University of Nebraska-Kearney on April 1-3, 2011.
Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,190 students. Hastings College was named among “America’s Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report, a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review, and a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s. Visit www.hastings.edu for more information.

For more information, contact Kittie Grace at (402) 461-461-7385.