Bradley Victorious Nationally – Again!
Bradley University’s speech team added to its record total of national titles, winning the American Forensics Association (AFA) national tournament.
04/09/2019 1:00 AM
Bradley University’s speech team added to its record total of national titles, winning the American Forensics Association (AFA) national tournament earlier this month at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
With 42 team national championships and more than 160 individual national championships, the Bradley Speech Team is not only the most successful collegiate forensics program in the country but the most successful collegiate team in any capacity, including sports, according to the Associated Press. In Alabama, Bradley beat out schools such as Illinois State, the universities of Nebraska, Alabama and Texas, Northwestern and Western Kentucky.
Three Bradley students won individual AFA national titles — Emily Trader, a sophomore (persuasive speaking), junior Trijae Johnson (program oral interpretation) and sophomore Joshua Beckles teamed with Johnson (duo interpretation). Senior Megan Magee was second nationally in individual sweepstakes, taking home points in four events. Two other team members, Beckles and senior Greg Huber, placed in the top 20 for individual sweepstakes.
“It’s been great to feel the support of the university behind us,” said Magee, the team’s president who was named an AFA-NIET All-American. She added that the team’s total number of national titles is more than the top five basketball teams combined.
“It’s something we’ll talk about with our kids when they apply at Bradley,” she said.
Here are the results.
| Natalie | Aiken | After Dinner Speaking | COM – Public Relations | Senior | |
| Informative Speaking | |||||
| Joshua | Beckles | Dramatic Interpretation | 2 – semi finals | Political Science | Sophomore |
| Duo Interpretation with Cassie Edlund | |||||
| Duo Interpretation with Trijae | 1 – finals | ||||
| Poetry Interpretation | 6 – finals | ||||
| Individual Sweepstakes | |||||
| Laura | Belec | Extemporaneous Speaking | 3 – semi finals | Political Science | Junior |
| Impromptu Speaking | 3 – semi finals | ||||
| Persuasive Speaking | |||||
| Chelsea | Cabanada | Program Oral Interpretation | Psychology | Junior | |
| Cassie | Edlund | 3rd in Poetry Interpretation | Community Wellness | Junior | |
| Dramatic Interpretation | 6 – semi finals | ||||
| Duo Interpretation with Jacob Sanders | |||||
| Duo Interpretation with Jacob Sanders | |||||
| Poetry Interpretation | 3 – finals | ||||
| Individual Sweepstakes | |||||
| Prose Interpretation | 5 – semi finals | ||||
| Jack | Ellis | Persuasive Speaking | 3 – semi finals | Management and Leadership | Sennior |
| After Dinner Speaking | 4 – finals | ||||
| Communication Analysis | 6 – semi finals | ||||
| Matt | Friedhoff | After Dinner Speaking | 4 – semi finals | COM – Organizational Communication | Senior |
| Duo Interpretation with Kyle Powers | |||||
| Informative Speaking | 5 – semi finals | ||||
| Individual Sweepstakes | |||||
| Communication Analysis | |||||
| Duo Interpretation with Greg Huber | |||||
| Prose Interpretation | |||||
| Melissa | Fuentes | Communication Analysis | 3 semi finals | Political Science | Junior |
| Extemporaneous Speaking | 3 – finals | ||||
| Impromptu Speaking | |||||
| Informative Speaking | |||||
| Persuasive Speaking | |||||
| Individual Sweepstakes | |||||
| Brenna | Fuhr | Extemporaneous Speaking | Creative Writing | Senior | |
| Impromptu Speaking | 4 – finals | ||||
| Persuasive Speaking | 2 – semi finals | ||||
| Individual Sweepstakes | |||||
| Communication Analysis | |||||
| Greg | Huber | Dramatic Interpretation | 4 – semi finals | Human Resource Management | Senior |
| Duo Interpretation with Matt Friedhoff | |||||
| Duo Interpretation with Megan Magee | 2 – finals | ||||
| Informative Speaking | 7 – semi finals | ||||
| Poetry Interpretation | 1 – semi finals | ||||
| Prose Interpretation | 3 – semi finals | ||||
| Individual Sweepstakes | |||||
| Matthew | Johnson | Impromptu Speaking | |||
| Megan | Magee | Dramatic Interpretation | 4 – semi finals | Television Arts | Senior |
| Duo Interpretation with Greg Huber | 2 -finals | ||||
| Informative Speaking | 1 – semi finals | ||||
| Poetry Interpretation | 4 – finals | ||||
| Program Oral Interpretation | 2 – finals | ||||
| Prose Interpretation | 2 – finals | ||||
| Individual Sweepstakes | |||||
| Haleemah | Na’Allah | Communication Analysis | 5 -semi finals | Political Science | Junior |
| Persuasive Speaking | |||||
| Informative Speaking | 7 – semi finals | ||||
| Ryan | O’Connor | Extemporaneous Speaking | Chemistry | Junior | |
| Impromptu Speaking | |||||
| Alejandro | Perez | Poetry Interpretation | 3 – semi finals | COM – Organizational Communication | Junior |
| Lily | Pieper | Dramatic Interpretation | English – Literary Studies | ||
| Kyle | Powers | Dramatic Interpretation | 5 -semi finals | COM – Public Relations | |
| Duo Interpretation with Matt Friedhoff | |||||
| Program Oral Interpretation | 2 – semi finals | ||||
| Prose Interpretation | |||||
| Individual Sweepstakes | |||||
| Jacob | Sanders | Communication Analysis | Organizational Communication | Junior | |
| Duo Interpretation with Cassie Edlund | |||||
| Informative Speaking | |||||
| Persuasive Speaking | 5 – semi finals | ||||
| After Dinner Speaking | 6 – finals | ||||
| Individual Sweepstakes | |||||
| Connor | Sears | After Dinner Speaking | 6 – semi finals | Political Science | Freshman |
| Emily | Trader | 1st in Persuasive Speaking | World Languages & Cultures | Junior | |
| Persuasive Speaking | 1 finals | ||||
| Program Oral Interpretation | 3 – semi finals | ||||
| Andrew | Yohanan | Extemporaneous Speaking | Management and Leadership | Senior | |
| Trijae | Johnson | Dramatic Interpretation | 7 – semi finals | COM – Public Relations | Junior |
| Duo Interpretation with Joshua Beckles | 1 – finals | ||||
| Poetry Interpretation | 3 – semi finals | ||||
| Program Oral Interpretation | 1 – finals | ||||
| Prose Interpretation | |||||
| Individual Sweepstakes |