By Danilynn Welniak/ne news editor

Two NE Campus competitors placed second and sixth in the Forensics Novice Nationals Tournament, which hosted 30 schools from across the U.S.

Lisa Benedetti and Irene Thrower coach the team, composed of Courtney Stewart, Phylicia Lindsey and Ashley Borck.

Stewart walked away with the second place title in Prose, and Borck won sixth place in Speech to Entertain.

“It was the biggest novice nationals tournament, in terms of schools and competitors, in a long time,” Thrower said.

“Not to mention, this was their first time to compete in a national tournament.”

All competitors had to be considered novice to compete.

“This tournament was a special nationals for newbies,” she said. “Novice means that the student cannot have competed for more than two semesters.”

Borck discussed the time that went into preparing for this competition and said the program is no cakewalk.

“We spend at least seven hours a week both in and out of class preparing,” she said. “We meet in class for an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then meet with Lisa or Irene for an hour per program per week.”

Borck competes in two different programs. Therefore, she spends anywhere from two to four hours in meeting sessions, Thrower said.

“There were 26 entries from the U.S. in my category,” Borck said, “so when I advanced to finals, I was so excited, but so nervous because whatever place I got, I was a national champion.”

Borck said that she could not have made it this far without inspiration and support.

“My source of inspiration came from Tito the Squirrel, but Lisa and Irene are a close second,” she laughed. “They have lit a fire in me, and their feedback has been very helpful. They have given me more support and patience than I deserve.”

Her speech focused on fans, and the goal was to persuade and inform while making the presentation comical.

Stewart’s second place medal came in only her second competition at the college level.

She competed at the high school level and placed sixth in prose last semester at her first college competition, Thrower said.

Thrower loves coaching her team, but her favorite part about competing is what she sees in her students’ eyes afterwards.

“To see them reach their goals and to see how proud they are when they break to finals or have learned from experience is my reward,” she said.

To raise money for the national tournament in April, the team will host Speech Night 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the NE Theatre.