Texas Speech 2025 National Champions for 4th Consecutive Year
The University of Texas Speech Team, housed in the Department of Communication Studies in the Moody College of Communication, travelled to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on April 4-7, 2025, where they were recognized with the overall NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP by the American Forensic Association. This was the fourth consecutive year that Texas Speech has been awarded the team championship, and the 11th time since 1994.
The team amassed a final point total of 462 points to outpace a field that included the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, who was second with 385.5 points. George Masin university (358 pts), Bradley university (356), and Eastern Michigan University (356 pts), also finished in the top 5 overall programs. The University of Alabama (247.5), Cornell University (242 pts), University of Illinois at Chicago (242), University of Minnesota (164.5 pts) and Illinois State University (156 pts) completed the top 10.
Senior Alejandra Vadillo also was recognized by the organization as UT’s 17th All-American.
Junior Ishika Bhasin and senior Hiba Faruqi were part of a closeout of the top two placings in Impromptu Speaking that saw the national championship awarded to Ishika Bhasin. Faruqi was recognized as the 4th overall speaker in the country, with Bhasin ranked 5th in the overall standings. They were joined by Kaylee Frazier, who placed 13th overall.
Bhasin’s championship extended what has been an extraordinary year for her, with a previous national title in Extemporaneous Speaking awarded by the Asynchronous Speech Championships in March, and a national runner-up ranking at the 151st Interstate Oratorical Contest hosted at Tennessee State University in Nashville on April 27.
Texas Speech is housed in the Department of Communication Studies. The team was co-directed this year by Dr. Eva Margarita (Fall semester), as well as by Communication Studies Assistant Instructor Natalie Wellman and Teaching Assistant Eleni Mercer.
Individual national finalists included the following students:
- Ishika Bhasin, National Champion, Impromptu Speaking
- Hiba Faruqi, 2nd place, Impromptu Speaking
- Kaylee Frazier, 2nd place, Dramatic Interpretation
- Kaylee Frazier & Jake Broyles, 2nd place, Duo Interpretation
- Kaylee Frazier, 3rd place, Prose Interpretation
- Hiba Faruqi, 3rd place, Communication Analysis
- Ishika Bhasin, 4th place, Persuasive Speaking
- Hiba Faruqi, 5th place, After Dinner Speaking
- Taylor Whitley, 5th place, Informative Speaking
- Patrick Pham, 5th place, Program Oral Interpretation
- Ella Bynane, 6th place, Dramatic Interpretation
Click here for complete tournament results.
Additional Awards
National Semi-finalists (top 12 nationally):
- Jennifer Gonzalez, After Dinner Speaking
- Jake Broyles & Windsor Bissell, Duo Interpretation
- Alek Araguz & Jennifer Gonzalez, Duo Interpretation
- Hiba Faruqi, Extemporaneous Speaking
- Ruta Rajpathak, Extemporaneous Speaking
- Hiba Faruqi, Informative Speaking
- David Cervantes, Informative Speaking
- Ishika Bhasin, Informative Speaking
- Hiba Faruqi, Persuasive Speaking
- Abigail Egbujor, Poetry Interpretation
- Patrick Pham, Poetry Interpretation
- Ella Bynane, Program Oral Interpretation
- Ellis Wesley, Prose Interpretation
National Quarter-finalists (top 24 nationally):
- Ishika Bhasin, After Dinner Speaking
- Ishika Bhasin, Communication Analysis
- Patrick Pham, Dramatic Interpretation
- Ellis Wesley, Dramatic Interpretation
- Jake Broyles, Dramatic Interpretation
- Ellis Wesley & Junior Vela, Duo Interpretation
- Ishika Bhasin, Extemporaneous Speaking
- Jennifer Gonzalez, Poetry Interpretation
- Jennifer Gonzalez, Program Oral Interpretation
- Junior Vela, Prose Interpretation
- Nasim Aleem, Prose Interpretation
