Xanthia Clow

Among 30 speech and debate teams, GCU finished runner-up to Concordia University of Irvine, Calif., on Sunday at the Sunset Cliffs Classic Tournament at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Jess Kennedy, Tommee Gleason and Xanthia Clow led the speech team. Kennedy won two events in the novice division and was named the second-ranked speaker of the tournament. Gleason clamed a pair of third-place finishes and reached the finals in two other events and Clow placed third in two events. Two debate pairs (Matthew Calderwood-Grace Laidlaw and Ben Kuykendall-Joseph-Madere) advanced to the top eight.

Eight students performed on Wednesday evening in the Speech and Debate Showcase. The event was highlighted by an emotional speech by Keliann Nash about her brother, and it featured the quick preparation skills of Tommee Gleason. “Several members of the audience were moved by the performances they saw, and that speaks to the power the students have in conveying emotions via their performance,” Director of Forensics Michael Dvorak said.

GCU senior Xanthia Clow shined a light on the opioid crisis en route to winning first place in persuasive speech at the Pacific Southwest Collegiate Forensic Association Fall Championships  on Sunday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. Teammate Tommee Gleason placed third in three events and Keliann Nash finished third in impromptu speaking at a tournament featuring 38 college and university teams.