The Concordia College Speech and Debate Team capped a standout season with a state championship, multiple finalists at the National Speech Championship in Nashville, and a national semifinalist at the oldest tournament in the country.
In February, the Cobbers placed first at the Minnesota Collegiate Forensics Association State Tournament, winning both the Minnesota-only and overall team competitions against programs from five states.
The Cobbers also earned significant individual honors at the state level.
Sophomore Sky Johnson won the Oratory event, qualifying as one of just two Minnesota representatives for the prestigious Interstate Oratory Contest.
Senior Brennan Jensen was inducted into the Minnesota All-State Speech and Debate Team, an honor recognizing excellence in competition, academics, and community service. Jensen also placed second in both Extemporaneous and Impromptu Speaking and reached the quarterfinals in Parliamentary Debate alongside junior Jonah Krogstad.
Krogstad added a second-place finish in Prose Interpretation and a fifth-place finish in Duo Interpretation with sophomore Julia Vickers. Vickers also placed fifth in Informative Speaking.
Other top performances included:
- First-year students Callie Bremer and Samm Goenner, champions in Duo Interpretation
- Goenner, second in Programmed Oral Interpretation
- Bremer, fourth in Prose Interpretation
- Sophomore Liv Wojahn, fifth in After Dinner Speaking
Additional competitors included sophomores Jeff Cihlar and Vickers, as well as first-year students Angela Albrecht and Ally Morthberg.
“The students identified a state championship as a guiding goal early in the season,” said head coach Dr. Darren Valenta. “Since August, they worked diligently to hone their ideas into speeches they care about and knew would compete at the highest levels of our activity.”
At the National Speech Championship in March, Concordia placed eighth in team sweepstakes, and three students advanced to final rounds:
- Johnson, third in Impromptu Speaking
- Jensen, fifth in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Krogstad, fifth in After Dinner Speaking
The season concluded in April at the Interstate Oratory Contest in Gainesville, Florida, where Johnson placed 11th nationally in persuasive speaking.
Valenta said the team’s success reflects both preparation and culture.
“They take care of each other, root for each other, and make each other better speakers and humans,” he said. “We couldn't be happier for this team continuing Concordia speech and debate’s legacy of competitive success, skill development, and advocacy for our neighbors.”
Students competing in speech learn deep research, careful editing, thoughtful delivery, audience analysis, and improvisation, Valenta said.
“Speech and debate pushes students to leverage their liberal arts education toward advocacy and difference-making they care about,” he added. “Any one of our speech students will carry these skills into their lives beyond Concordia, making them confident and competent contributors to a world that needs them now more than ever.”