The Tyler Junior College speech and debate team continued its winning season with an impressive showing last weekend at the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association’s Fall Championship.
The event was hosted virtually by TJC.
Ja’Quacy Minter, of Mount Pleasant, set a new TJC record by being named the first place overall top speaker in individual events, because of how well he performed in all five of his categories.
“This is the first time a TJC student has ever been the state’s overall top speaker in individual events in the fall championship,” said M’Liss Hindman, TJC speech and debate team director and speech professor. “It’s a rare accomplishment for any speech and debate student to be in the finals in five events, but it is particularly impressive since Ja’Quacy, a sophomore, was competing mostly against upperclassmen.”
During Day 1 of the event, TJC winners included:
• Minter, first place top overall individual events speaker, first in poetry interpretation, third in oral interpretation, fourth in prose interpretation and fifth in dramatic interpretation
• Minter and Samantha Rodden, of Lindale, third in duo dramatic interpretation
• JoLee Stuart, of Whitesboro, sixth in dramatic interpretation
TJC placed fourth in school sweepstakes, just behind such schools as University of North Texas, Texas State University and The University of Texas at Austin.
On Day 2, TJC winners were:
• Rodden, first in dramatic interpretation
• Minter and Rodden, second in duo dramatic interpretation
• Minter, third in dramatic interpretation
• Stuart, fifth in prose interpretation
For the entire, two-day tournament, Minter placed third overall top speaker and TJC placed third in overall sweepstakes, behind UT Austin and Texas State University.
Team assistant director is Joan Andrews, TJC speech professor.
For more information on TJC speech and debate, go to TJC.edu/speech.