Eight students from the Northwest College Forensics Team struck gold at the Western States tournament in Denver, posting a first-place finish among two-year colleges.

Additionally, the team earned second place overall and won the Best in the West trophy — the first time a community college has ever received the award.

NWC Director of Forensics Jeannie Hunt indicated the feat is particularly challenging for a smaller college because most of the schools that compete are larger universities that can bring more students and earn more points. The ability to consistently have a high point total, year after year, is how NWC claimed the award this year.

In addition to competing in the tournament, students were able to attend the Western States Communication Association conference, with Aidan Hunt of Powell presenting in the student showcase and participating in a panel discussion that followed.

Many of the students took top honors in their respective individual events.

“Everyone earned points that counted toward our sweepstakes awards,” said forensics coach Bob Becker. “It was a real team effort.”

• Bossan Abdyyeva of Sakar-Chage, Turkmenistan: third place open and second place junior duet (with Tanya Novosiltseva)

• Nasheil Del Rosario of Rock Springs: second place junior program oral interpretation

• Lorna Gage of Newberry, Michigan: fourth place open drama and first place junior persuasion

• Abigaile Grubb of Green River: first place junior informative speaking, first place junior communication analysis and fourth place junior poetry

• Aidan Hunt: second place open drama, first place junior drama and fourth place junior program oral interpretation

• Brendan Kachnowski of Rock Springs: fourth place open prose, first place junior prose, third place open drama, first place junior poetry, second place open duet, first place junior duet (with Mariah Mader) and first place junior program oral interpretation

• Tanya Novosiltseva of Rostov-on-Don, Russia: second place junior duet (with Abdyyeva)

• Mariah Mader of Cowley: second place open, first place junior duet (with Kachnowski) and fifth place junior program oral interpretation

The team continued to excel in their debate events as well:

• Del Rosario: eighth speaker junior NPDA

• Gage: ninth speaker overall NPDA and third speaker junior NPDA

• Grubb: second speaker overall NPDA and first speaker junior NPDA

• Hunt: fifth speaker junior NPDA

• Kachnowski: third overall IPDA and first junior IPDA

• Mader: sixth speaker junior NPDA

• Novosiltseva: eighth speaker overall NPDA and second speaker junior NPDA

• Grubb and Del Rosario: first place junior NPDA

• Hunt and Novosiltseva: second place junior NPDA

• Gage and Mader: third place junior NPDA

Throughout the remainder of the semester, the team will continue to prepare for Phi Rho Pi Nationals, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 5-12.