UIS Faces Best in the Nation at UIUC

SPRINGFIELD, IL. (February 5, 2020) – The UIS Speech and Debate traveled to her sister campus at Urbana-Champaign to take part in the Illini Swing speech tournament. This competition usually features some of the top collegiate speakers in the nation and 2020 was no different. Students from Western Kentucky University and Bradley University, two of the strongest teams in the nation, took part in this competition.

Senior Sarah Burris represented UIS at both days of this competition. She competed in four different speaking categories: after dinner speaking, persuasive speaking, poetry interpretation, and program oral interpretation. Burris delivered some of her strongest performances to date and received multiple high scores. However, this performance was not enough to advance to elimination rounds at this competition.

“Speech and debate isn’t just about winning” says coach Timothy Bill. “We do this activity to learn and improve as speakers. Our scores demonstrate that we achieved that at both days of this competition. We’ll learn everything we can to be even more proficient at the next competition.”

The University of Illinois Springfield Speech and Debate Team is committed to training the next generation of civic leaders, public speakers, and communicators who are passionate about effecting change in their communities. Students who are interested in joining the team should reach out to the coach Timothy Bill (tbill2@uis.edu) or check out the team website at Speech and Debate site.