HELENA, MT — Led by Jenna Hammond, the team’s Talking Nurse, the Carroll College Talking Saints forensics team swept to victory at the Weber State Classic in Ogden, Utah, on October 24, 2026.
Hammond, a senior from Libby, Montana, was honored as the best student in the tournament, followed closely by Leah Melvin of Kimberly, Idaho, who placed second, and Jase Frost of Ronan who placed third. Carroll’s small contingent of eight students won 19 awards and were recognized as the top school at the tournament.
“There’s nothing better than seeing good things happen to good people,” said coach Brent Northup. “Jenna is much loved by her teammates. She’s called the ‘team mom’ because she’s always checking to see if everyone’s OK. The team unanimously chose a classy cuisine, In-N-Out Burger, for their celebration, which included lots of laughter in silly hats.” Hammond said this was the best tournament in her eight years in speech in high school and college. “I have never performed that well in my entire career, nor have I ever won individual sweepstakes,” said Hammond. “It was such a pleasant surprise. I’m still shocked. It was such a blast celebrating and screaming in the parking lot when we returned with our awards. This tournament helped me see that all the years and hard work truly pay off.”
Melvin won three awards, including first place in dramatic interp and informative speaking. Frost won three awards including a first in duo, with Hammond. Hammond’s other wins were in after-dinner speaking, impromptu and poetry. Lily Vickers, a sophomore from Roundup, Montana, won first in poetry and third in prose. Joining Vickers in the final round of prose were two first year Saints: Emilio Rodriguez-Holloway of Las Vegas, and Isabella Giles from Miles City, Montana. “Seeing two frosh in finals was so wonderful,” said Northup. “Isabella has never done speech in her life, and she’s been working hard and getting better every week. She was begging to go on this trip to try out her new skills and she smiled all the way home.”
Afterwards, the winners were giving credit to their friends. “I’m so grateful to Lily and Maisy (Orellana) for helping me out with my prose execution before competition,” said Giles. “Everyone was so helpful.” “The freshmen performed amazingly,” said Vickers. “And it’s their first speech tournament!” “It’s not all about winning,” said Hammond. “I’m just happy that my judges enjoyed my speeches as much as I did!”
