LAKELAND, Fla. (March 21, 2008) — Florida Southern Forensic Team members Jordan Stout and Tony Rivera closed the 2007-2008 season with an impressive showing in two national tournaments and one regional tournament across a two-week period.

Stout, a junior, and Rivera, a sophomore, competed in the Delta Sigma Rho National Championship and the University of Florida Gator Invitational on the weekend of March 7. Stout, breaking into finals for the first time this year, placed sixth in After Dinner Speaking at the DSR Championship. A day later, Stout moved up to a fourth-place finish in ADS at the Gator Invitational, where Rivera placed third in Prose Interpretation.

A week later, Stout and sophomore Shay Lessman traveled to Pensacola for the Novice National Championship. This year, Novice Nationals had the largest number of entries in the history of the competition, with 43 colleges and universities participating. Stout was a semifinalist in Impromptu Sales and finished in second place in After Dinner Speaking.

This is the second time that FSC has participated in the Novice National Championship, and have had finalists in after dinner speaking both years. Lessman, a newcomer to the team, fared well in his second outing, placing in the top half of Poetry Interpretation.

“The team had another great year,” said Chris Fenner, director of Forensics. “Tony has performed consistently well with seven wins in six competitions, and for Jordan to finish in two national tournaments in his first semester on the team is unheard of.”

The Florida Southern Forensics Team began competing in intercollegiate competition in Fall 2005 and has received awards at the state, regional, and national level. The team is sponsored through a generous grant by local businessman, C.C. “Doc” Dockery. For more information about joining the forensics team, please contact Chris Fenner at cfenner@flsouthern.edu.