The Newberry College Speech and Debate Team earned top honors Oct. 3–5 at the Hub City Swing Tournament, a three-day event hosted by the University of Southern Mississippi. The competition featured two separate tournaments and drew students from universities across the South, including the University of Alabama, Mississippi State University, Texas Christian University, Union University, Middle Tennessee University, and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Newberry’s team – comprised of Denim Morrison, Juliana Hernandez, Paul Fisher, Taylor Jones, Wilfredo Lopez-Perez, and Tanaejah Odom – placed third in Team Individual Events Sweepstakes in both portions of the tournament.

Individual student achievements included:

Hub City Swing Part 1

• Denim Morrison: 4th Place, Communication Analysis; 4th Place, Radio Broadcasting; 6th Place, Informative Speaking; 4th Place, Golden Eagle Award (for competing in both speech and debate events)
• Paul Fisher: 2nd Place, Radio Broadcasting; 6th Place, Impromptu Speaking
• Juliana Hernandez: 3rd Place, Persuasive Speaking
• Taylor Jones: 4th Place, Persuasive Speaking; Top Novice, Persuasive Speaking

Hub City Swing Part 2

• Denim Morrison: 4th Place, Communication Analysis; 4th Place, Informative Speaking
• Taylor Jones: 4th Place, Persuasive Speaking; Top Novice, Persuasive Speaking; 6th Place, Radio Broadcasting
• Juliana Hernandez: 3rd Place, Persuasive Speaking; 4th Place, After Dinner Speaking
• Tanaejah Odom: 3rd Place, Radio Broadcasting

With these wins, the Newberry College Speech and Debate Team has earned more than 25 awards in just two weeks of competition. The team will continue its season later this month with tournaments across the region, competing against some of the nation’s top programs.

Learn more about the Newberry College Speech and Debate Team: https://www.newberry.edu/campus-life/get-involved/speech-debate-team