March 1, 2004

Boise State's Talkin' Broncos Excel At Spokane Tournament

Boise State University’s Debate and Speech Team captain Annah Merkley (junior, Pocatello) won two events and placed in four others to lead the team to a second-place finish at the Spokane Falls Forensics Tournament in Spokane, Wash., Feb. 20-22. Boise State’s runner-up finish also clinched second place for the Talkin’ Broncos in the Northwest Forensics Conference’s Division I season standings. This marks the 15th consecutive season that the Boise State forensics team has finished first or second in the conference standings.    Merkley’s performance tied a 10-year-old school record for most points earned in a single Northwest Conference tournament, and included first-place finishes in both Program Oral Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation, third-place in Dramatic Interpretation, fourth place in Prose Interpretation, fifth place in Persuasive Speaking and a second place finish in Debate with partner Ali Ishaq (senior, Boise).    Not far behind Merkley were Boise State’s Kristin Davidson (sophomore, Winnipeg, Manitoba), and Barton Jackson (freshman, Eagle). Davidson finished first in Persuasive Speaking, second in Program Oral Interpretation, third in Poetry Interpretation and sixth in Informative Speaking, a performance made more impressive by the fact that the Spokane Falls tournament marked her return to competition after nearly a year off.  Jackson finished fourth in Impromptu Speaking, fifth in both Extemporaneous Speaking and Poetry Interpretation, and fifth in debate with partner Brad Peatross (freshman, Idaho Falls). Peatross also placed second in Informative Speaking.    Other award winners for the Talkin’ Broncos included Brienna Carico (junior, Caldwell), who placed sixth in both Persuasive Speaking and Poetry Interpretation;  Nate Schunke (senior, Boise), third in Extemporaneous Speaking; Jared Cooke (sophomore, Idaho Falls), fifth in Dramatic Interpretation; and Ishaq, sixth in Impromptu Speaking.   Twenty-nine schools from Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Utah participated in the Spokane Falls Tournament.  Carroll College of Helena, Mont., took top honors among Division I  schools. Boise State was second, Whitman College (Wash.), third, Lewis & Clark College (Ore.), fourth, and Pacific Lutheran University, fifth.    The Boise State team travels to Seattle, Wash. next month for the final competition of the forensics season, the Pi Kappa Delta Regional Tournament hosted by Seattle University, the University of Washington and Northwest College. -30- Contact Marty Most Department of communication 208 426-1920 Media Contact Kathleen Craven communications and marketing 208 426-3275