NORFOLK – The Northeast Community College speech team earned several honors recently at tournaments in areas states.

At the University of South Dakota’s Valley Forensics League Tournament, every member of the Hawks’ team had a part in earning 20 trophies. Jordan Sager, Norfolk, took first place in dramatic interpretation and the top novice award in dramatic interpretation. Joe Lose, Kansas City, MO, won three awards – second in dramatic interpretation, third and top novice in duo interpretation.

Dakota Vlotho, Rock Valley, IA, earned third place in duo interpretation, and three top novice awards in poetry, prose and duo interpretation. Drew Sempek, Stromsburg, placed fourth in oral interpretation, and Ben Temple, Norfolk, was fourth in extemporaneous speaking and earned a top novice award in extemporaneous speaking.

At the Dragon/Loper Rodeo Tournament at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, KS, Northeast earned six trophies.

Sempek was fifth in oral interpretation; Vlotho and Lose took sixth in duo interpretation.

Coach Terry Nelson said her team earned the first place Community College Interpretation Trophy, and collectively, it won second place for Community College Sweepstakes at the Hutchinson tournament. Sager and Temple were also key competitors in helping Northeast win the sweepstakes trophy.

“This is incredible for a team of young freshmen to come home with trophies for each of the tournaments we competed in this fall. These are difficult tournaments and we’re up against some really tough schools,” Nelson said. “It can get discouraging for these students when they don’t break into the finals after working so hard as they battle to keep their grades up and fight with sleep deprivation from back to back tournament weekends.  But they have done amazingly well, and I am incredibly proud of this team.

The Northeast Community College speech team will continue with tournament action in early 2014 when it competes in an event at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD, February 21-23.