EMU forensics team places second nationally

Eastern Michigan University's forensics team placed second nationally to Western Kentucky University at the National Forensics Association Tournament, which took place April 19-23 at Berry College in Rome, Ga.

FANTASTIC FORENSICS: The Eastern Michigan University forensics team poses with the hardware it brought home from the recent National Forensics Association Tournament. The group placed second nationally and senior Chris Griesinger took home three individual national championships.

The performance was the best showing for EMU nationally in more than a decade and exceeded expectations, said Ray Quiel, director of EMU's forensics team, who, weeks prior, had figured Western Kentucky and Bradley University as the likely favorites, with EMU in the next tier of potential champions with Illinois State University and Arizona State University.

"I never thought second place would taste so good!" Quiel said.

Eastern Michigan's Chris Griesinger was a three-time national champion, placing first in the categories of prose interpretation, after dinner speaking and persuasive speaking. Griesinger, a senior from Middletown, Ohio, placed second in informative speaking. He also placed second in the pentathlon (top speaker in the nation), for overall performance in five or more events.

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