Big 9 Speech conference finalists

The Big 9, a conference that Owatonna helped create in 1928, met once again on Monday, March 19, for the final Speech Tournament. Eight of the 13 categories had members place. Creative Expression had three, Ava Stockwell placed fourth, Paige Carlson placed seventh and Olivia Irelan placed eighth. Discussion also had three finalists, Margaret Sager placed first, Ella Rasp placed second and Madeleine Haberman placed fifth. The Duo of Michala White and Maria Chicos, the only duo on the team, took fifth place. Extemporaneous Reading had two members, Jennifer Schropfer and Sara Wall, taking sixth and seventh place respectively. The Informative category had Cheyenne Krampitz place second. Original Oratory had five members finish, the most of any category, starting with Katie Skalicky who took first place, Tori-Anne Carlson took third, Emma Smith took fourth, Sophia Paley took sixth place and Qahir Lakha took seventh place. In Poetry, Captain Maureen Gleason took first place in her final year of speech, and Mady Vieths took fourth. Prose had a lone winner, with Anna Weisenberger who placed fifth. Now, the team must wait until Thursday, April 3, to participate at sections in Northfield. The top three of each category will qualify for the State Tournament, which will be on Friday, April 11, in Blaine.