February 25, 2026
The Tallahassee State College (TSC) Speech and Debate Team won the Overall Team Sweepstakes title at the Florida Intercollegiate Forensics Association (FIFA) State Championship.
Competing against teams from the University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of West Florida, Florida State University, and Southeastern University, TSC advanced 24 entries beyond elimination rounds, earned three individual state championships, and secured six runner-up finishes.
In a dominant showing, TSC swept four Overall Individual Speaker Awards. Jack Hopkins placed first overall, followed by Natalie Gordon in second, Samuel King in third, and Grace Hartman in fourth.
Along with those awards, several individual performances highlighted the team’s hard work. Hopkins was crowned the State Champion in Program Oral Interpretation, while Gordon won two state titles in Dramatic Interpretation and Duo Interpretation alongside teammate King.
The success continues with runner-up finishes from Olivia Shull in Communication Analysis, Hartman in Informative Speaking, Gordon in Poetry Interpretation, King in Prose Interpretation, and Hopkins in After Dinner Speaking and Public Debate.
“I hope everyone understands how special a win like this is,” said TSC’s Director of Forensics, John Schultz. “These university teams have larger squads and travel with numerous juniors and seniors. For us to win the championship exclusively with a group of freshmen and sophomores is amazing.”
In addition to the top finalists, Lillyana Humphreys, Elsmary Hernandez, Mya Richardson, Sophie Germanovsky, and Solei Sutton all delivered award-winning performances that contributed to critical points to secure the overall title.
This marks TSC’s fourth state championship from FIFA, further establishing the college as one of Florida’s premier collegiate forensics programs.