Moraine Valley Speech and Debate Team has successful fall

The Moraine Valley Community College Speech and Debate Team had another successful fall semester, winning first place twice and taking second once.

The team opened upthe season on Oct. 15 at the McHenry County College Tournament, finishing first. The overall top speaker was a three-way tie among Moraine Valley team captain Aidan McGuire, of Mokena, freshman Eman Qasmien, of Orland Park, and another student from Elgin Community College. The tie was broken based on the number of first place finishes in each category, of which Qasmien had three.

“Eman came out on top. It is rare for a new student to win top honors. This is a great testament to the quality of students at Moraine Valley,” said John Nash, Moraine Valley communications professor and co-coach of the team.

Last month, the team took second place at the Prairie State College Tournament. Earlier this month, Moraine Valley finished in first place overall for the second consecutive year at the Elgin Community College competition. Moraine Valley also hosted an on-campus tournament in October, where 18 colleges and universities from around the country participated. Host colleges can compete but are not eligible to win a team sweepstake trophy. 

Moraine Valley students on the team include Gabi Data, of Burbank;Gabe Dunkle, of Tinley Park; Lydia Garcia, of Justice; Maria Koutsis, of Oak Lawn;McGuire; Chayse Mueller, of Worth; Izabella Nieves, of Blue Island;Oswaldo Ocampo, of Burbank; Qasmien; Kandyce Swain, of Blue Island; Julian Zubrzycki, of Chicago; and Eli Zwiesler, of Chicago Ridge.

“The team and coaching staff have really come together in all the best ways. The team members are doing so well because they truly care about their topics, messages and each other. The coaching staff has made great connections with the team. We added a new coach, Natalie Jurcik, this year, who brought a new and needed energy to the team,” Nash said. “We will be working hard over the winter break to get ready for next semester.”