Eagan led all
schools in gold medals, winning four. Of the four returning
gold medalists, only one succeeded in winning an event again
this year at the 2010 Minnesota State High School League
Class AA State Speech Tournament.
Karen Zhou
of Lakeville North was the only defending
champion to earn a second consecutive gold medal. Zhou, who
won in Extemporaneous Speaking last year, took top
honors in Informative Speaking. This was also her
second medal overall.
The other
three defending champions weren’t as fortunate. Jessy
Soderbeck of Eagan, who was in the hunt for her
third consecutive crown in Storytelling,
settled for runner-up honors in that category this year. In
Humorous Interpretation, Lindsey White of
Eastview of Apple Valley placed third after
winning in the same category last year. It was the
third medal overall for both Soderbeck and White.
David
Finseth of Lakeville
North was the final returning champion. He won in Duo
Interpretation with Ashley Mardell last year and
competed in the same category this year. But he and new
partner Daniel Sandberg didn’t qualify for the finals.
Eagan led the
field with five gold medals, while Lakeville North and St.
Cloud Tech picked up three apiece. Besides Zhou, the other
2010 champions are: Eric Deutz of Marshall in
Creative Expression; Katie Benson of St.
Cloud Tech in Discussion; Marshall Covert
and Emily Kaufenberg of Roseville Area in
Duo Interpretation; Leah Zobott of Eagan
in Extemporaneous Reading; Dylan Slinger of
Lakeville South in Extemporaneous Speaking;
Alexis Friesen of Lakeville North in Great
Speeches; Dori Dotson of St. Cloud Tech in
Humorous Interpretation; Kari Mehr of St.
Cloud Tech in Original Oratory; Arnesh Roy
of Eagan in Serious Interpretation of Drama;
Nathan Ejuwa of Eagan in Serious
Interpretation of Poetry; Joshua Evans of
Eagan in Serious Interpretation of Prose; and
Alexandra Plouff of Benilde-St. Margaret’s of St.
Louis Park in Storytelling.
CLASS A:
Fairmont
and Mounds Park Academy of St. Paul led all schools with
two gold medals apiece. Of the five returning gold
medalists, only two succeeded in winning an event again
this year at the 2010 Minnesota State High School League
Class A State Speech Tournament.
Sarah
Bankson of Fairmont and Aaron Smith of
St. Peter were the only two champions who won
consecutive gold medals this year. Bankson became only
the fourth Class A competitor in tournament history to
win a coveted third gold medal with her third
consecutive win in Informative Speaking. Smith,
who won in Great Speeches in 2009, took top
honors in Serious Interpretation of Poetry this
year. The win also gave him his second medal overall.
The
defending champions who competed in the same category,
but didn’t earn repeat medals were: Jason Dennis
and Luke Swenson of Park Rapids, who
claimed top honors in Duo Interpretation last
year; and Brady Ysker-Giefer of Windom Area,
who earned the gold in Serious Interpretation of
Poetry. Ysker-Giefer finished third in his category,
and Dennis and Swenson placed fifth.
Dennis and
Swenson earned their third medals overall, and
Ysker-Giefer earned his second.
Fairmont
and Mounds Park Academy earned two gold medals apiece,
and nine other schools had one winner each. Besides
Bankson and Smith, the other 2010 champions are:
Nathan Gebhard of Park Rapids Area in
Creative Expression; Londyn Robinson of
Luverne in Discussion; Katie Timm and
Kyle Thoreson of Springfield in Duo
Interpretation; Veronica Lesnar of
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton in Extemporaneous Reading;
Caroline Miller of Mounds Park Academy in
Extemporaneous Speaking; Matt Timmons of
Jordan in Great Speeches; Patricia
Martin of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley in
Humorous Interpretation; Emily Colton of
Mounds Park Academy in Original Oratory;
Shelby Kitterman of Sauk Centre in Serious
Interpretation of Drama; Christine Ohenewah
of Mankato Loyola in Serious Interpretation of
Prose; and Craig Genmill of Fairmont
in Storytelling.
