LAKELAND, Fla. (Feb. 3, 2009) &$8212; The forensic team had their strongest showing of the season to date at the University of West Florida Marks Invitational Tournament held Jan. 31 in Pensacola. Eight students participated in the competition, walking away with 14 individual wins and a third place team sweepstake award.

The University of West Florida hosted nine college and university teams at the Marks Invitational. Competing for Florida Southern College were Shay Lessman, Krista Miller, Eryn Sherman, Erin Sneed, Jordan Stout, Josh Sweeney, and Tony Rivera. The students participated in nine of the 12 individual events offered at the tournament, placing in the finals in eight of them.

"This team just gets stronger every year," said coach and assistant professor of communication Dr. Chris Fenner. "This is the largest team we've had, and this weekend really showed what they can do."

Duo partners senior Jordan Stout and freshman Eryn Sherman took first place in Dramatic Duo Interpretation, followed by juniors Krista Miller and Tony Rivera in fourth place. Sherman also earned third place in Prose Interpretation.

The team proved its comedic chops in After Dinner Speaking with Krista Miller in first, Jordan Stout in third and senior Josh Sweeney in fifth. Miller earned yet another award with a fifth place finish in Dramatic Interpretation.

Stout earned a fourth place finish in the crowded Impromptu Speaking event, competing against more than 30 other students. His strong streak continued with a fourth place finish in Programmed Oral Interpretation.

The team also fared well in Editorial Impromptu Speaking with Krista Miller in third place, junior Shay Lessman in fifth place, and Tony Rivera in sixth place. Rivera also placed third in Informative Speaking. At this point in the semester, seven of the 10 team members have qualified for the National Forensic Association national championship.

Florida Southern College will be host to the Florida Interstate Forensic Association state championship on Feb. 13-15. Students from colleges and universities across the state will be competing in 12 different individual speaking events and parliamentary debate.

The Florida Southern Forensics Team was founded through a generous grant by local businessman C.C. "Doc" Dockery. For more information about intercollegiate forensics, please contact Chris Fenner at cfenner@flsouthern.edu.