CU-Bloomsburg Forensics Wins Sweepstakes
Bloomsburg, PA (11/09/2026) — The Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg Forensics (Speech and Debate) Team won the first-place team sweepstakes award at the Duquesne University Fall Invitational Tournament, held October 2-3.
Bloomsburg finished ahead of Duquesne University, University of Lynchburg, Wilkes University, Penn State, University of Pittsburgh, and Marshall University. Twelve of the fifteen students competing for Bloomsburg won individual speaking awards.
The following Bloomsburg students won speaking awards at the 2026 Duquesne University Fall Invitational tournament:
- Rayna Burke: 1st Communication Analysis, 4th Poetry
- Hattie Cinnamon: 3rd Prose; 4th Communication Analysis; 4th Pentathlon
- David Cooper: 1st After-Dinner Speaking; 1st Extemporaneous Speaking; 1st Pentathlon; 2nd Informative; 2nd Persuasion; 5th Dramatic Duo with Seth Kamienski
- Julia Flickinger: 3rd Dramatic Duo with Brianna Malloy; 4th Impromptu Speaking; 5th After Dinner Speaking; 6th Dramatic Interpretation
- Cameron Hutnick: 5th Communication Analysis
- Seth Kamienski: 3rd After-Dinner Speaking; 5th Dramatic Duo with David Cooper; 5th Extemporaneous Speaking; 6th Pentathlon
- Brianna Malloy: 1st Prose; 2nd After-Dinner Speaking; 2nd Impromptu Speaking; 3rd Dramatic Duo with Julia Flickinger; 4th Persuasion
- Emma Mattern: 4th After-Dinner Speaking; 5th Persuasion
- Tyler Ruzicka: 6th Informative
- Alexis Stec: 6th Persuasion
- Iyana Travers-Smith: 3rd Communication Analysis; 5th Poetry; 6th Extemporaneous Speaking
- Abigail Watkins: 1st Informative, 2nd Prose; 3rd Poetry
Other Bloomsburg students competing at the tournament, contributing to the team's first-place finish, included Ezra Clark, Ariel Ludwick, and Dominick Tamborelli. Dr. Neil Strine, Professor of Political Science and Director of Forensics, and Dr. Michael Martin, CU-Bloomsburg Associate Emeritus Professor of Professional & Technical Writing, served as speech and debate judges at the Duquesne tournament.
The Bloomsburg Forensics Team is supported by the Bloomsburg Community Government Association and the Bloomsburg University Foundation.
Media Attachments
Shown from left: back row: Dr. Martin, Tyler Ruzicka, Seth Kamienski, Ariel Ludwick, Rayna Burke, Hattie Cinnamon. Middle row: Dominick Tamborelli, Iyana Travers-Smith, Ezra Clark, Alexis Stec, Cameron Hutnick, Emma Mattern, Abby Watkins. Front row: Brianna Malloy, Julia Flickinger (Dr. Neil Strine not shown).