McNeese Speech and Debate Team Wins National Award 

McNeese State University’s Speech and Debate Team won third place in the National Forensic Association (NFA) National Championship Tournament in President’s Division III. The tournament took place in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 16-20. 

In one of the most competitive speech and debate tournaments in the nation, the President’s Division III is for schools with up to 13 entries at the tournament and McNeese brought five.  

McNeese students Caleb Wilson, a senior psychology major from Iowa, and Jacob St. Mary, a junior psychology major from Lake Charles, competed at the tournament. Both students have been on the team for three years and worked hard to qualify for this tournament.  

Wilson reached the semifinals in dramatic interpretation and the quarterfinals in prose interpretation and he competed in rhetorical criticism. St. Mary competed in impromptu speaking and extemporaneous speaking. 

“This team placement was the second best in the history of McNeese speech and debate in NFA. This was our third consecutive NFA team award, which marks a first in the history of our program,” explained Tryfon Boukouvidis, a McNeese mass communication instructor and coach of the speech and debate Team. “The first NFA tournament took place in 1971, so it would be fair to say that this is the first ‘threepeat’ for the team in the 55 years.” 

Being part of the speech and debate team is more than just a resume builder. According to Boukouvidis, regularly speaking in front of judges and audiences helps build confidence and students become more comfortable expressing ideas clearly and persuasively. Students learn to think on their feet and adapt messages to different audiences and then use these skills in other situations like presentations, interviews and everyday conversations.  

“Two of our students told me that their participation in the team helped them feel comfortable in interviews,” Boukouvidis said. “One of them landed a job with a major engineering firm and the other landed an internship with a top investment banking firm.”  

Additionally, speech and debate activities require gathering credible sources, understanding data and staying informed on current events. During debates, students must respond quickly to opposing arguments, leading to better mental agility and tolerance for high-pressure situations.  

“The team acts as a leadership incubator for university organizations. Many team members have gone on to assume leadership positions in other student organizations at McNeese,” Boukouvidis said. “One of our former members served as the SGA president this year.” 

The speech and debate team travels nationwide for competitions and even traveled internationally this year with a winning trip to Greece. All majors are welcome to join the team. Meetings are held every Monday at 4 p.m. in Kaufman Room 205.