The weekend of April 18.  proved to be a whirlwind for Manhattan High Schools forensics team as they balanced high stakes competition with the arrival of Prom. The weekend began with a curveball when Washburn Rural canceled the Friday national qualifier session, forcing the entire tournament into a packed Saturday schedule. 

“It was a little hectic,” senior Wyatt Adams said. “We got back home at 3:00 [p.m.] which made prepping for Prom a little tight. It was alright though because Manhattan did great.”

The team’s performance was indeed worth the rush. Adams and junior Natalia Buffington secured a 2nd place finish in Duet Interpretation, officially qualifying for Nationals. They were joined on the podium by senior Lake Rodriguez, who took 3rd in Informative Speaking as an alternate for nationals and junior Billy Koeppe, who earned 4th in Humorous Interpretation. Junior Haley Hughes placed 4th in Informative, while junior Alexis Toews took 5th in Dramatic Interpretation and 6th in Duet with Keoppe. 

These results mean seven Manhattan students will head to Richmond, Virginia, this June for the National Speech and Debate Tournament. Joining the debate qualifiers from December, the group is bracing for the long trek east.

“It’s going to be quite the drive,” Adams said, “but it will be fun.”