Saeed Malami ’20 was named the top performer (Performer of Highest Distinction) in the National Forensics Association’s Performance of Distinction competition for Seniors.  Seniors were asked to submit recordings of four of their very best performances of the year for consideration by committees of coaches.  Saeed was a performer of distinction in ALL FOUR of his events.  He was awarded with Performer of Distinction recognition for his After-Dinner Speaking and Prose Interpretation Performances.  He was also awarded with the Performance of Highest Distinction in BOTH Poetry and Rhetorical Criticism.

In addition to Saeed, Chris Mayer ’20 was also named a Performer of Distinction for his performances in Extemp, Impromptu, and NFA-LD debate.  Andrea Rivera ’23 won Novice Performance of Distinction honors in Poetry and Lincoln Douglas Debate.

For more information, see the article on Lafayette Today:

Saeed Malami ‘20 tops all competitors at national forensics championship

Debate coach, John Boyer, was appointed as the National Forensics Association’s Tournament Director for the next three National Championship Tournaments!  His task is a difficult one, with the possibility of an interrupted season and post-season.  Planning one national tournament is hard, planning another one to take place online is a big ask!  Read more here:

John Boyer chosen to lead National Forensic Association’s national championship

Senior, Saeed Malami was named to the American Forensics Association’s All-American Team. The All-Americans represent the best 15 senior competitors and citizens in the country. Saeed has had an illustrious career and this is the first time a Lafayette student has been recognized with this honor. Congratulations, Saeed!

While the National Forensic Association’s championship tournament won’t be starting tomorrow, Lafayette’s students are taking the opportunity to perform for two different online showcases!  Watch this space for a round-up of the accolades from those performances.  Until then, here is a retrospective on our 2020 PFA State Championship and a preview of those digital competitions!  Enjoy!

Forensics Society Dominates State Championship

Reigning IOA National Champion, Saeed Malami (’20), was featured in the Lafayette Magazine that is delivered electronically and in print to Lafayette alumni.  His accomplishments at the IOA tournament are highlighted and we encourage you to give it a read!

“Forensics and Me”

The 2019-2020 academic year has seen Lafayette Forensics Society grow to become the biggest team in program history.  Over 30 students have competed in Individual Events and Debate!  The team has grown to the point where we decided to break new ground in college forensics by hiring two remote coaches to work with some of our students.  Rahul Guha (former competitor and coach for Bowling Green, Miami (OH), and Beavercreek (OH) HS) and Decker O’Donnell (former competitor and coach for Lewis and Clark) have been brought on to help coach individual events via Skype and other platforms.  The team is big AND talented.  This size, talent, and expanded coaching was the foundation for a record-breaking semester for Lafayette Forensics.

57 first place finishes;
4 individual sweepstakes championships;
and 212 total awards!

For a complete rundown of the tournament results at the 14 tournaments we attended, click on the tournament name below.  Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for live updates during the spring semester!

OCHOIE Invitational at Lafayette College

Carolyn Keefe Memorial Tournament at West Chester University

SNAFU at West Chester University

Northern Virginia Community College

Pennsylvania State University

Jack Lynch Invitational at St. Anselm College

The Norton Invitational at Bradley University

The Charity Ball at Dutchess Community College

McKendree University

Ed Leonard Memorial Tournament at Seton Hall University

SNAFU at Seton Hall University

Frolic Some More at Otterbein University

Off-Broadway Swing at Nassau Community College

Off-Broadway Swing at Hofstra University

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Saeed Malami (’20), has won the Interstate Oratorical Association’s (IOA) 145th annual championship tournament.

IOA is the longest running public speaking competition in North America. The first tournament was first held in 1874 in Galesburg, IL and has been held without interruption every year since. Two students are selected by each state to participate. In 2019, the representatives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were both students from Lafayette College (Saeed Malami and first-year Lia Charles). They attended the tournament this past weekend (April 27-28). Coincidentally, the tournament was held this year in Philadelphia, PA.

Against the best competitors from each state, Saeed finished in the top 12 that advanced to a semi-final round. He advanced to the finals, which was held in the Independence Visitor Center overlooking the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. In the final round, Saeed gave a stunning performance and the judges crowned Saeed Malami as the 145th Interstate Oratorical Association’s national champion.

Attending this prestigious competition is an honor. Lafayette has a long history of representing Pennsylvania at this tournament. We have placed students in the semi-final round, but Saeed is Lafayette’s first finalist and is our first champion (and only the second from Pennsylvania). Past IOA competitors include William Jennings Bryan, Senator Robert LaFollette, and Senator George McGovern. Saeed’s championship broke barriers in the forensics community. He is the first Nigerian and is likely the first non-US citizen to win the competition. As his coach, I’ve seen firsthand the deep dedication he has given to this performance. His speech on child slavery within the chocolate industry has been a passion project rooted in academics and a personal connection to the topic as a West African.

Congratulations, Saeed!

SANTA ANA, CA – Lafayette Forensics travelled to sunny Santa Ana, California for this year’s National Forensics Association’s Championship Tournament.  For one week, the members of the team left the dreary spring weather behind for the California sunshine.  Over 80 schools competed in the tournament that completes the team national championship calendar.  After Novice Nationals, Pi Kappa Delta, and the National Speech Championships, the squad was read for one last chance to perform.  Lafayette competed and won awards in both Speech and Debate, one of the few schools to do so.  The tournament was highlighted by Luisa Gunn’s extraordinary performance in debate that placed her tied for 5th in the nation and Saeed Malami finished tied for 13th in Persuasion and DI!  Luisa’s performance, along with her teammates, was enough to earn Lafayette 6th place in Debate sweepstakes, a major improvement over last year’s 10th place finish.  It was an excellent tournament and several finishes, like Kelly Mwaamba’s 4th place finish in Novice Poetry, are sign of great things to come for Lafayette Forensics!

Luisa Gunn – Quarterfinalist in LD Debate
Saeed Malami – Quarterfinalist in Persuasion, Quarterfinalist in Dramatic Interpretation
Ansh Mishra – Triple Octofinalist in LD Debate
Kelly Mwaamba – 4th place in Novice Poetry

6th place in Debate Team Sweepstakes

OAKLAND, MI – Lafayette College attended the third ever National Speech Championship at Oakland University in Michigan.  Director Scott Placke traveled to this tournament with four students.  Eleanor Griffiths, Scott Kamen, Saeed Malami, and Kelly Mwaamba competed in 13 events across all three genres.  The team finished in 14th place, its highest ever finish at this prestigious tournament.  The individual results were highlighted by Saeed Malami’s success in Persuasion and Dramatic Interpretation.  Saeed was a national finalist in BOTH events, taking 4th place in each of the two final rounds.  Scott Kamen and Kelly Mwaamba also advanced to the elimination rounds.  These strong performances propelled the small squad into the top 15 in the nation!

Scott Kamen – Quarterfinalist in Persuasion and Communication Analysis
Saeed Malami – 4th Place in Persuasion, 4th Place in Dramatic Interpretation, Quarterfinalist in Dramatic Duo
Kelly Mwaamba – Quarterfinalist in Dramatic Duo, Quarterfinalist in Dramatic Interpretation

Team Sweepstakes – 14th place

HEMPSTEAD, NY – Over the second half of spring break in March, Lafayette College attended the Pi Kappa Delta Biennial Convention and Tournament hosted by Hofstra University.  Coach John Boyer and alum James Hilbert coached Ansh Mishra and Anastasiia Shakhurina  in debate, limited preparation, and interpretation events.  The tournament is one of the largest and oldest national tournaments in the nation!  After competing over four grueling days, Ansh received a superior award in Extemporaneous speaking.  This means he was in the top 10 percent of the event nationwide.  He also received an Excellent award (top 30%) in Impromptu speaking.  Anastasiia just missed the cut off in Prose interpretation.

Ansh Mishra – Superior in Extemp (9th out of 141 competitors) and Excellence in Impromptu (24th out of 182 competitors)