Dominating the Junction City tournament on Saturday, the Manhattan High School Forensics team placed in most of the competitions and ended with first place in Sweepstakes.

Sophomore Lily Colburn, placing in the most events, got third in Extemporaneous Speaking, fifth in Impromptu and second in Informative/Original Oration.

Senior Sterling Edgar also placed fourth in Extemp and second in Impromptu, while sophomore Douglas Kim was awarded third in Impromptu and fourth in Prose.

“It was fun. It was actually the second one I’ve been to, ever, and the first time I broke,” sophomore Jenna Dominguez said. “We won Sweeps, so that was good … I’m just glad we got the opportunity to break and experience the final rounds.”

Continuing on in the tournament, junior Kriya Newfield won sixth in Impromptu and second in Poetry while junior Sean McGimpsey got fourth in Informative/Original Oration.

Seniors Olivia Groninger and Evan Heger also placed in Dramatic Interpretation, first and sixth respectively. Heger also won seventh in Humorous Interpretation.

Finally, the partnering of sophomore Nicolas Paukstelis and Dominguez was awarded sixth in Duo Interpretation and fourth in Impromptu Duet Acting.

“It’s the first time I’ve actually placed in a tournament whatsoever, so, placing in two different ones was kind of crazy for me,” Paukstelis said.

The tournament provided for a celebratory time for the team as they won their first Sweeps and now have around 15 State qualifiers.

“It was a really good weekend and they had a great time, that was a big thing,” Sutherland said. “It was a beautiful day out, we had a really nice time, [the] kids had a good attitude so it was just fun.”