TORRINGTON – Eastern Wyoming College’s Speech and Debate team finished well at the Lancer Invitational and Cougar Swing hosted on the EWC campus Sept. 29 – Oct. 1.
Facing a field of 24 other competitors, from colleges including the South Dakota School of Mines, Black Hills State University, Colorado Christian University, Belmont Abbey College (NC), Idaho State University, Northwest College, and Casper College, Haley Lauze, a sophomore from Green River, WY, finished in the final four of the tournament’s Open division. She finished with a 5-1 preliminary round record, with four wins over debaters from Colorado Christian University, including the eventual runner-up, and one win over Belmont Abbey’s Logan Torve, a past national champion and this year’s Lancer Invitational tournament champion, Lauze advanced through the Round of Sixteen, won in the Elite Eight, and lost on a 2-1 decision in semifinals.
Zach Lybrand, a freshman from Douglas, Wyoming, also finished well. At his first debate tournament, he advanced to the Elite Eight in the novice division, with a 4-2 record, notching wins over Northwest College, Black Hills State University, and Colorado Christian College. Lybrand, lost to London Ruff from
The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology on a 3-0 decision in quarterfinals.
Kinlee Whitney, a freshman from Newcastle, won the prose division at the Lancer Invitational, earned sixth place in informative speaking, and finished second overall in individual events, against strong competition from competitors representing Casper College, Northwest College, Western Nebraska Community College, Sterling College (KS), The University of Nebraska-Kearney, Doane College from Nebraska, and Colorado Christian University.
During the Cougar Swing, which featured only individual events, Lauze finished fourth in persuasive speaking and sixth in prose, interpretation and Whitney finished fourth in prose interpretation.
The squad will split its resources when it next travels to Black Hills State University for a debate tournament on November 3-4 and to Midland University in Fremont, Neb., for an individual events tournament the same weekend.
