HELENA – The Talking Saints, Carroll College’s forensics team, finished their seasons quietly suffering near misses at both national tournaments, while Talking Saints coach and Carroll professor Brent Northup received a career award.
At the National Individual Events Tournament (NIET) at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, on April 4-6, junior Hanna Hillier of Jerome, Idaho, finished one point short of advancing to quarterfinals in prose interpretation. She earned three firsts and a second, but a fifth place ranking from the fifth judge ended her season.
“Hanna’s ballots from NIET were very positive, with compliments on the subtlety and honesty,” said coach Brent Northup. “It’s a piece about an Army wife struggling while her husband is at war. Hanna touched some hearts with her performances.”
At NIET Northup was honored with the 25-year award – only the 16th coach so honored in NIET history – and the first ever from the Western area, which includes Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Arizona and California. Carroll has qualified students for the NIET championships every year since 1990.
Northup serves as Western Representative on the NIET executive committee.
“Brent Northup has poured his heart and soul into our Talking Saints,” said Carroll College President Dr. Tom Evans. “He has been at the helm of this program for 25 years and through his talent, dedication and love for our students, he has built this team into the powerhouse competitor that it is.”
Also qualifying for nationals and competing at NIET were juniors Desirae Kivett and Anna Hoerner, both of Spokane.
“Age has its perks,” said Northup. “I was humbled to join a list of coaches I admire.”
At the University of Alaska in Anchorage on April 10-13, Carroll’s top team, juniors Ryden Meyer of Portland, Oregon, and Mark Schmutzler of Helena, got off to a hot start in the first five preliminary rounds, advancing them into the top debates against the nation’s top teams.
But Carroll losses in the final preliminary rounds to Yale, Cornell and Stanford sent those teams to octa-finals, and abruptly ended the Talking Saint’s wonderful season. Schmutzler and Ryden had reached semi-finals at Vermont and won the Western Championship at Cal Poly, raising hopes.
“They were disappointed, of course, we all were,” said Northup. “But they earned a lot of respect this year for themselves and for Carroll, and their senior year is ahead of them.”
The three other Carroll teams also performed well, but none advanced. Competing were freshmen Becca Poliquin of Hamilton, Montana, and her partner Freddy Gray of Boise, Idaho, Tori Hill of Sidney, Montana, and her partner Luke Kendall of Stevensville, Montana, and Jake MacDuff of Preston, Washington, and his junior partner, Nick Fuller of Seattle, Washington.
“I’m proud of everyone,” said Northup. “This was a spring with no seniors, but there were lots of highlights worthy of ESPN’s SportsCenter – but their cameras were evidently somewhere else.”
“We said goodbye to two fine assistant coaches, too. Pam Barker is heading to grad school at Syracuse and Chris Axtman is leaving, too. We’ll all miss them.”
On Sunday, May 3 at 7 p.m., the Talking Saints perform for the public in the Campus Center. Hillier and six other team members will perform. The event is free and the Helena community is encouraged to attend.