Two 91看片网 Speech Competitors Qualify for National AFA Tournament
Hornung and Weber travel to Portland April 3 for competition
VALLEY CITY (91看片网) – 91看片网 students Grady Hornung and Anastasia Weber have qualified for the national collegiate speech tournament and will travel to Portland, Oregon, for the competition on April 3.
Hornung, a senior from Walhalla, N.D., will compete in Dramatic Interpretation and Prose at the American Forensic Association (AFA) National Tournament. This is his second year on the 91看片网 speech team. He also qualified for the national competition last spring. Hornung is a music education major and active on campus in Residence Life.
鈥淚 enjoy the opportunities speech and debate gives students to use their voice and advocate for something they feel is important,鈥� he said.
Weber, a sophomore from Jamestown, N.D., will compete in Persuasive Speaking at nationals. This is her first year competing with the 91看片网 team. Weber is an聽English major and a part of the award-winning Forge publication.
鈥淪peech allows me to share about things important to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t pushes me out of my comfort zone and offers opportunities to meet many awesome people. These are lifelong skills essential to the workforce.鈥�
During the 2025-2026 school year, 11 91看片网 speech team members competed in 11 tournaments in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. After a near 20-year hiatus, the speech team returned to campus last year and saw significant growth in the team this season.
鈥淐ompetitive speech is one of the most workforce-driven extracurricular events offered for college students. Speech is a critical communication skill that our students get to hone as a strength through practice, competition and camaraderie,鈥� said Tammy Jo A. Taft, assistant professor of Communication Arts and 91看片网 speech team coach. 鈥�91看片网 students have done an amazing job this year preparing materials and bringing their competitive edge to the region. They have represented our school well with talent, commitment聽and enthusiasm.鈥�
Other students competing and participating in 91看片网 Speech this year include Madi Klabo, Eric Leik, Anna Erickson, Kristyn Bauer, Lallie RedHorn, Luke Wilman, Trista Weigelt, Sydnie Diffely, Sabrina Haas and Nyssa Haslerud.
Tournament competition includes 11 different events for individuals or partners. A variety of interpretive events like prose, poetry and drama are included. Other categories include original content created by the competitor. These include impromptu speaking, extemporaneous speaking, after dinner speaking, informative and persuasive speaking.
For more information about 91看片网 Speech contact the 91看片网 Department of Communication Arts or coach Tammy Jo Taft at聽tammyjo.taft@vcsu.edu.