November 6, 2025
The Tallahassee State College (TSC) Forensics Team earned first place in Overall Team Sweepstakes at the 32nd Annual Autumn in the Mountains invitational, hosted by Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia.
This is the second time TSC has secured the championship at this invitational, first winning in 2022. The team had an impressive win after beating other major university programs, including the University of Central Florida, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of Florida, and the University of Alabama, which had won the title for the previous 30 years.
The team earned four individual event championships, which include Grace Hartman in Dramatic Interpretation, Samuel King in Prose Interpretation, Olivia Shull in Slam Poetry, and Natalie Gordon and Samuel King in Duo Interpretation.
Along with those winnings, the team received three of the tournament’s top six overall speaker awards, with Natalie Gordon (3rd), Samuel King (4th), and Olivia Shull (6th) earning top honors.
“I’m very proud of myself and my team for bringing in some big wins,” said Natalie Gordon, a sophomore communications major at TSC. “This season has been full of commitment and hard work, and it’s amazing to see how all of our efforts have paid off and led us to success.”
Next up, the team will compete in the second iteration of the Sunshine State Swing, where they will defend their first place win in Individual Events Team Sweepstakes from earlier this season.