by Joseph Rothschild

ST. LOUIS, MO – After spending four and a half days shuffling through classes, Lafayette Forensicators Sarah Pungitore (’19), Vanessa Milan (’16), and Joseph Rothschild (’16) piled onto a plane to attend one of the largest tournaments of the year, Webster University’s Gorlok Gala. Though most of the team ended up sick as a result of the combined three hours of sleep they got over the weekend, their sniffling and coughing wasn’t enough to prevent them from picking up multiple top finishes in both speech and debate.

After six excruciating rounds of debate, fourth-year Gorlok participant Joseph Rothschild was awarded Top Speaker, only dropping 1 and a half speaker points out of the 180 available over the weekend. After a top 16 break, he dropped in a highly competitive round against Western Kentucky’s Bailey Rung on a 2-1 decision. Debating alongside him was Vanessa Milan, another fourth-year Gorlock participant, who spent her six preliminary rounds sparring alongside the circuit’s best.

The talk of the tournament for Lafayette, however, was novice debater Sarah Pungitore, who not only made her varsity debut in the Lincoln-Douglas tournament, but also made it into the semifinal round of Extemporaneous Speaking. This was a huge honor for both the debater and the dedicated teammates who remained in Easton, who spent the weekend diligently pulling files and arguments for Pungitore to deploy with her characteristic charm.

When not desperately trying to sneak in naps between rounds and losing themselves in a pile of paper, Vanessa, Sarah, and Joseph were treated to the Gorlock’s classic toasted ravioli dinner, a nighttime drive around the loop, and a fantastic dinner in a rotating booth. The team definitely cherished the ability to compete in one of the largest and most competitive tournaments of the year, and will be returning in two weeks to attend a tournament at James Madison University.