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Walnut — The Mt. SAC’s Forensics Team has captured its sixth national title, placing first out of nearly 70 teams at the Phi Rho Pi national community college speech and debate championships in Kansas City, MO. The team placed first in both the individual events sweepstakes and the overall tournament sweepstakes, scoring more than 40 points ahead of second-place finisher, Kansas City (Kan.) Community College. Mt. SAC students advanced 22 individual and team events to elimination rounds at the competition. Mt. SAC students won nine gold medals at the competition, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual event. Two students, Brandon Nakawaki (Ontario) in Informative Speaking and Adam Carrillo (Chino) in Poetry Interpretation, achieved the best total scores in their individual categories. Other students winning gold medals were: Zakir Khan (West Covina) in both Extemporaneous and After Dinner Speaking; Rodrigo Vicuna (Upland) in Informative Speaking and Duo Interpretation; Kaila Criscione (Diamond Bar) in Duo Interpretation; Arthur Agag (West Covina) in Communication Analysis and After Dinner Speaking; and Ian Nachreiner (Riverside) in Communication Analysis. |
Silver medalists were: Josh Hamzehee (Hacienda Heights) in Prose Interpretation and Dramatic Interpretation; Kaye Ponnusamy (Walnut) in Informative Speaking; Ian Nachreiner in After Dinner Speaking; and “sever” a theater performance featuring Carrillo, Hamzehee, and James Stevenson (Baldwin Park). Bronze medal winners included: Shae Hsieh (Chino Hills) in Program Oral Interpretation, Persuasive Speaking, and After Dinner Speaking; Kaila Criscione in Dramatic Interpretation; James Stevenson in Dramatic Interpretation; Carrillo and Hamzehee in Duo Interpretation; Zakir Khan in Communication Analysis; and Rodrigo Vicuna in After Dinner Speaking. Others team members contributing to the national title included: Kim Duenas (Chino), Jessica Leyva (Covina), and Sarah Karros (Upland). The team is coached by faculty members Jeff Archibald, Ken Klawitter, Julie Mallard, and John Vitullo. Mt. SAC also won the community college national championship in 1994, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003. |