News & Events

Charlotte speech & debate

The Charlotte Speech & Debate teams are always recruiting students interested in public speaking. Please check us out on NinerEngage–Charlotte Debate and Charlotte Speech–or on our Instagram accounts: Charlotte Debate and Charlotte Speech.

Dr. Aaron A. Toscano, Director of American Studies, coaches Charlotte Debate. Dr. Nance Riffe, Associate Teaching Professor of Communications Studies, coaches Charlotte Speech.

Charlotte speech and Debate at Novice nationals

February 27-March 1, 2026: The Charlotte Speech & Debate teams went to Novice Nationals at Berry College in Mt. Berry, GA. This opportunity was sponsored by American Studies. The Debate Team had eight participants, and four students entered multiple speech events. They received the following awards:

Extemporaneous Speaking: Shristi Acharya (3rd)
Impromptu Sales:  Shristi Acharya (4th)
Persuasive Speaking: Allie Dunn (2nd), Korey Wilson (3rd), and Amely Pena Alcantara (4th)
Poetry Interpretation: Amely Pena Alcantara (6th)
Program Oral Interpretation: Amely Pena Alcantara (5th)
Public Narrative: Amely Pena Alcantara (1st)
Slam Poetry: Allie Dunn (6th)

Debate Team members (l to r): Joshua Matherson, Via Catingub, Jackson Sutton, Amely Pena Alcantara, Maleke Perry, Korey Wilson, Liz Edwards, & Gabriel Sarmiento
Speech Team Winners (l to r): Korey Wilson, Amely Pena Alcantara, Shristi Acharya, & Allie Dunn

Marshall University memorial tournament

November 14-16, 2025: The Charlotte Speech & Debate teams competed at the largest tournament of the year. The Debate Team had eight participants, and four students entered multiple speech events. They following debaters advanced to Novice elimination rounds:

Amely Pena Alcantara (Octa-finalist)
Allie Dunn (Octa-finalist)
Liz Edwards (Quarter-finalist)
Jackson Sutton (Octa-finalist)
Korey Wilson (Semi-finalist)

Debate Team: (back l to r) Korey Wilson, Gabriel Sarmiento, Jackson Sutton, Maleke Perry, & Coach Toscano; (front l to r) Allie Dunn, Amely, Pena Alcantara, Via Catingub, & Liz Edwards
Debate Team: (l to r) Maleke Perry, Allie Dunn, Jackson Sutton, Liz Edwards, Coach Toscano, Amely, Pena Alcantara, Via Catingub, & Korey Wilson

We also wish to acknowledge that the memorial tournament took place on the anniversary of the plane crash that took the live of 75 members of the Marshall University community on November 14, 1970.

Charlotte speech and Debate at Novice nationals

February 28-March 2, 2025: The Charlotte Speech & Debate teams went to Novice Nationals at Berry College in Mt. Berry, GA. This opportunity was sponsored by American Studies. The Debate Team had one entry (Isaac Lainez), and five students entered multiple speech events. They received the following awards:

After Dinner Speaking: Sophie Sommer (5th)
Impromptu: Neil Hartwick (5th)
Impromptu Sales: Isaac Lainez (2nd), Neil Hartwick (6th)
Informative: Owen Hart (6th)
Persuasion: Sophie Sommer (7th)
Poetry: Isaac Lainez (2nd), Akua Sackey (7th)
Program Oral Interpretation: Isaac Lainez (2nd)
Slam Poetry: Sophie Sommer (4th)

Speech Team: (l to r) Isaac Lainez, Neil Hartwick, Owen Hart, Sophie Sommer, & Akua Sackey {Not pictured Coaches: Sabrina Reed & Aaron Toscano}
Speech Team: (l to r) Owen Hart, Isaac Lainez, Neil Hartwick, Akua Sackey, & Sophie Sommer

Utopia in Oz

Dina Massachi gave a talk titled “Utopia in Oz” for the OzConnection Channel on YouTube. You can view her talk here.

A History of Racing in Charlotte

Drawing on more than 50 years of photojournalism experience in motorsports, longtime NASCAR photographer and UNC Charlotte adjunct professor Bryant McMurray talks about the history of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway ahead of the 2020 CocaCola 600 in Charlotte… read more.