CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University’s Forensics (speech and debate) Team attended the Steve Hunt Classic on October 10-12, 2025, at Lewis & Clark College, Portland. This is the first designated Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC) tournament of the season.
The tournaments featured over two dozen schools from across the Northwest and beyond, including Boise State University, Idaho; Whitworth University, Spokane, Wash.; Texas Tech University, Lubbock; and Arizona State University, Tempe.
At the Steve Hunt Classic, Senior Veronica Robinson, a Psychology major from Portland, was a semi-finalist in Open Impromptu Speaking and competed in Open IPDA Debate. First-year Casey Hermanson, a Climate Science and Economics major, from Bend, was 1st Place and 3rd Best Speaker in Novice IPDA Debate and competed in Junior Impromptu Speaking. First-year Myah Oswald, an Animal Science major from Boise, Idaho, was 5th Place in Junior Impromptu Speaking and was a quarterfinalist and 6th Best Speaker in Novice IPDA Debate. Senior Nadir Isweesi, an Economics major from Benghazi, Libya, was a Quarterfinalist in Novice IPDA Debate and competed in Novice Impromptu Speaking. Sophomore Preetam Roy, a Computer Science major from Portland, was a Quarterfinalist in Novice IPDA Debate and competed in Junior Impromptu Speaking.
“This is the sort of thing I love about our team,” said Mark Porrovecchio, director of the team. “A seasoned veteran and talented newcomers support each other and do well at a very competitive tournament. It was truly a group effort.”
Also attending the tournament was First-year Kaitlyn Johnson, a Biology major from Abilene, Texas, who competed in Junior Impromptu Speaking.
The team was coached by assistant coach Megan Baus from Salem. Baus is a former student competitor for OSU and a current MAIS graduate student in the Speech Communication area of the School of Communication.
“I am very excited about the team this year,” continued Porrovecchio. “We have nearly a dozen new students, along with two returning students. This tournament is a great starting point for the rest of the season.”
Celebrating its 133rd season, OSU Forensics is one of the oldest clubs on campus and a member of the Performing Arts Board in the School of Communication. The team is open to all students in good academic standing regardless of experience or academic background. If you are a student interested in participating, or a member of the community who would like to support the team, please contact Porrovecchio at [email protected].
CONTACT:
Mark Porrovecchio
205 Shepard Hall`
737-8230
Photo (from left to right): back row: Preetam Roy, Nadir Isweesi, and Myah Oswald; front row: Kaitlyn Johnson, Veronica Robinson, and Casey Hermanson.