Carroll Talking Saints Win 36th Consecutive Northwest Forensics Conference Title

Carroll College’s Talking Saints clinched their 36th consecutive Northwest Forensics Conference championship at the final regional tournament held Feb. 15, 2026, at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington, where team president Olivia Smith accepted the NFC “Eagle” from the conference president and Carroll was recognized as the region’s top British Parliamentary debate program. Carroll’s title was shared this year with Boise State University and Lewis & Clark College.

The Talking Saints carried momentum from a dominant showing at the Pacific University online tournament Jan. 23–25, where the program “won 40 awards” and, as reported, “added 20 more awards in speech events.” Carroll swept the top three British Parliamentary finishes at Pacific: Brad Tomasovic (junior, Great Falls) and Davis Thompson (junior, East Helena) finished first; Kate Wilkins (sophomore, Salt Lake City) and Catherine Dudley (Pendleton, Indiana) finished second; Kaylee Little (senior, Boise) and Ashlynne Jeffries (Vancouver, Washington) finished third. Coach Brent Northup said, “Brad and Davis deserved this win. They have been one of the region’s best team all year, and finally won the gold,” and he thanked faculty and staff who helped place students in tournaments.

Individual placements at the NFC final added to Carroll’s season résumé. Olivia Smith, a senior from Bozeman, Montana and the team president, placed first in Communication Analysis and third in Informative Speaking at the NFC tournament. Kate Wilkins finished second in Extemporaneous Speaking and reached finals in Impromptu at the conference final. At Pacific, Leah Melvin (sophomore) won four awards including first in junior impromptu, Olivia Smith won three awards including second in persuasion, Thuymi Tran (first year, Portland) won three awards, Katy Keim (junior, Moscow, Idaho) finished first in after-dinner speaking, Jenna Hammond (Libby, Montana) added two awards, and first-year Kimber Koteskey earned top novice speaker.

The NFC final also served as a moment to honor Whitworth coach Mike Ingram, who is retiring; Olivia Smith said, “The tournament was pretty special because we were celebrating Mike Ingram, the Whitworth coach who is retiring.” Smith and teammate Jenna Hammond presented Ingram with a team jacket; Smith added, “Jenna (Hammond) and I presented Mike with a team jacket because he encompasses what it means to be a Talking Saint. He is special because of his kindness to us and to everyone.”

Looking ahead, Carroll announced plans for national competition: eight debaters will compete at the North American University Championships March 6–8 at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and six students will attend speech nationals April 4–6 at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Reflecting on the season, Smith said, “Winning an Eagle was very special this year. I’ve never seen a team work harder than this year’s team. The freshmen were the most hard-working new members in all the years I’ve been on the team. Even through adversity, they kept smiles on their faces and loved one another.”