The Great Debaters of Wiley College closed out its regular season of competition with some impressive achievements, including taking the win at the 11th Annual Eddie Shell Invitational Debate Tournament on February 15 at Bossier Parrish Community College. Other schools that participated in the tournament included Mississippi State University, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Stephen F. Austin State University and Abilene Christian University.

Also in February, Wiley’s Debate team took the second place overall prize at the Sweetheart Swing Debate Tournament, which was held at the University of Oklahoma. And the team placed third in the state at the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association State Tournament at Texas State University, behind current National Champions University of Texas-Austin and Texas State University.

At the Eddie Shell tournament, six Wiley students emerged as tournament champions in various events.

Those tournament champions are:

Naomi Henry, a junior Criminal Justice major from Missouri was named tournament champion in Impromptu Speaking, and tournament champion in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Nala Johnson, a senior Interdisciplinary Studies major from New Jersey, was named tournament champion in Duo Interpretation with Nicholas Madison, a junior Interdisciplinary Studies major from Houston.

Fortune Onwunali, a junior Mass Communication major from Houston, was named tournament champion in Poetry Interpretation.

Ismael Williams, a sophomore Business major from California, was named tournament champion in Program Oral Interpretation for the West Texas A&M portion.

Morris McKay, a freshman Interdisciplinary major from Illinois, was named tournament champion in Prose Interpretation.

Other Individual student results at the Eddie Shell Invitational Tournament are as follows:

Naomi Henry placed 5th in Poetry Interpretation.

Louis Mendez, junior Sociology major from Houston, placed 5th in Informative Speaking, 4th in Program Oral Interpretation, 5th in Prose Interpretation, and 7th in Dramatic Interpretation.

Curtis Milby, a Senior Mass Communications major from Kentucky, earned 2nd place in Informative Speaking and earned 2nd place in Prose Interpretation.

Nala Johnson earned 2nd place in Dramatic Interpretation.

Cardero Berryman, junior Mass Communications major from Houston, placed 4th in Prose Interpretation and earned 2nd place in Poetry Interpretation.

Fortune Onwunali placed 6th in Prose Interpretation.

Ismael Williams placed 2nd in Program Oral Interpretation at the Texas Christian University Portion.

Omari Hawkins, a senior Interdisciplinary Studies major from Tyler, placed 2nd in Duo Interpretation with Ella Wade, a junior Mass Communications major from Georgia, and placed 3rd in Dramatic Interpretation.

Stephanie Cancel, a junior Sociology major from New York, placed 3rd in Poetry Interpretation, 4th in Dramatic Interpretation, and earned 5th place in Duo Interpretation with Morris McKay.

Ismael Williams placed 6th in Poetry Interpretation.

The Great Debaters of Wiley College will next compete in the National HBCU Speech and Debate Tournament Championship March 1-3 at Tennessee State University, where Wiley alumnus Sean Allen is the Director of Forensics. And on March 2, they will compete at the American Forensic Association Individual Events Tournament at Oklahoma State University.