January 22, 2026
The Tallahassee State College (TSC) Speech and Debate team delivered standout performances at the third installment of the Sunshine State Virtual Forensics Tournament, leading them to earn first place against colleges and universities from across the country.
The team earned first place in the Individual Events Team Sweepstakes and the Overall Team Sweepstakes and placed second in the Debate Team Sweepstakes.
Final standings in the Overall Team Sweepstakes placed TSC with 122 points, ahead of the University of Central Florida (78), University of West Florida (52), University of Pittsburgh (29), and Union University (26.5).
In total, the team advanced 29 entries to the final rounds, with every member earning awards across all 12 competitive events. TSC dominated the Overall Individual Team Sweepstakes at the tournament, led by Olivia Shull (1st place), Grace Hartman (2nd place), and Jack Hopkins (3rd place).
Additional points for the team were earned by Natalie Gordon, Samuel King, Lillyana Humphreys, Tamyah Richardson, Solei Sutton, Elsmary Hernandez, and Sophie Germanovsky.
“All of us put in countless hours of hard work, and it’s very satisfying to see it pay off,” said Grace Hartman, a sophomore at TSC. “I’m looking forward to many more wins throughout the rest of our competition season.”
In February, the Speech and Debate Team will defend its title at the 2-year and 4-year Florida State tournaments.