Speech Team Wins 16th Consecutive State Championship

The Bradley Speech Team brought home its 16th consecutive State Championship scoring 279 points besting second place Illinois State University (150 points) with North Central College, Northwestern University, and Northern Illinois University rounding out the top 5 programs in the state.

With an impressive effort, Bradley brought home 8 of the 11 individual event state championships. Jerome Gregory (Jr.) from St. Louis, MO took home the overall top speaker state championship. Additionally, the State Championship is the qualifier for the Interstate Oratorical Contest, which is the oldest, most prestigious public speaking contest in the country. Only two contestants from each state are allowed to participate and by winning the state championship in Oratory, Abby Surprenant (Jr.) from Marshall, MN has qualified to represent Bradley and Illinois at this year's event hosted in Omaha, NE.

"The Oratory State Championship is also a special honor because the award is named after Bradley Speech Team alum Curt Byars. Curt tragically passed away shortly after graduating, but his passion for advocacy and justice lives on in this award. We are honored to have brought this award back home with Abby's stellar performance" said Director of Forensics Ken Young.

The team will be preparing the rest of March for their two national tournaments: the American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament in Gainesville, FL (4/1-4) and the National Forensics Association National Tournament in Muncie, IN (4/14-18).

The public is welcome to attend the team's "Night Before Nationals" performances in Neumiller Lecture Hall on March 25th and 26th at 7pm (rated PG) and 9pm (rated R for language). These four shows, roughly an hour long each, will showcase the team's year long work before they head off to nationals. Admission is $5 per show and all proceeds go towards the team's travel expenses.

Bradley State Champions:

Tyler Beall (Sr. Public Relations major from Lindenwood, IL)- Duo Interpretation State Champion with Friedhoff

Sarah Brashear (So. Public Relations major from Omaha, NE)- Prose Interpretation State Champion

Matt Friedhoff (Fr. Public Relations major from Wooster, OH)- Duo Interpretation State Champion with Beall

Jerome Gregory (Jr. Public Relations major from St. Louis, MO)- Overall Top Speaker State Champion, Extemporaneous Speaking State Champion, Impromptu Speaking State Champion, Informative State Champion

Megan Magee (Fr. Television Arts major from South Beloit, IL)- Program Oral Interpretation State Champion

Abby Surprenant (Jr. Organizational Communication major from Marshal, MN)- Communication Analysis State Champion and Oratory State Champion