There are two new state champions at West Chester University.

At the annual Pennsylvania Forensics Association State Tournament at Wilkes University, Abriana Gonzalez and Anna Hewitt – members of WCU’s Speech and Debate Team – captured the championship in Duo Interpretation.

Gonzalez, a Communications Studies major from Elkins Park, also took the title in Program Oral Interpretation and placed second in Prose. Hewitt, a Nursing major from Downingtown, came in third in After Dinner Speaking.

Their wins helped boost the Golden Rams into a third-place finish at the tournament.

Their teammates also performed well. Alex Moore – a Communication Sciences and Disorders major from Billings, Mont. – placed fourth in Pentathlon, the individual sweepstakes category, plus third in Persuasion, third in Prose, fourth in Rhetorical Criticism, and fifth in Impromptu.

Olivia Marquardt, an English major from Lansdale, placed fourth in Prose.

“I am thrilled by the team’s continued tradition of excellence, especially in the face of such strong competition,” said Alane Presswood, WCU’s Director of Forensics. “The state tournament was considerably larger this year than it has been in years past, which is a great sign of growing interest in public discourse in the state of Pennsylvania. I cannot wait to see the students represent the very best of what Golden Rams can be during the upcoming 2020 national tournament season.”

The team is now preparing for the National Speech Championship hosted by George Mason University on March 21-22.

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