Competition was held in eight individual events categories, three debate categories and student congress. Speakers competed in five preliminary rounds after which the field was cut to the top 14 speakers in each category for the semifinal round. The top six took part in the finals.

Mercer qualified 24 entries in all while winning its fourth tournament title of the season in five outings. Eight of these advanced to the finals with six capturing top-three finishes.

Mercer won both the overall sweepstakes trophy and speech sweepstakes award in competition with 46 other schools.

Woody Dixon, a junior, picked up his fifth straight tournament championship in humorous interpretation. He received seconds and thirds in four of his five preliminary rounds. He went on to earn first-place ranks from four of his six judges in the elimination round to win by three points.

Courtney Urey, a senior; and Kenny Long, a junior, placed second in duo interpretation and were named top performers in four of five preliminary rounds and placed second overall in both elimination rounds. Erica Powell, a junior; and Wylie Earnhart, a sophomore, placed third with ranks of either first or second in all preliminary rounds and third in each elimination round.

Lindsay Kimes, a senior; and Becky Lopuh, both juniors, advanced to the finals in dramatic interpretation. Lindsay won second-place honors with a first, two seconds and two thirds in the preliminary rounds; and first- and second-place ranks, respectively, in the semifinals and finals. Becky received a first, three seconds and two thirds in preliminary rounds before placing fifth overall in the finals.

Tyler Love, a junior, placed second out of 35 speakers in the extemporaneous category. He ranked first in three of his five preliminary rounds and earned third and second place overall in the semifinals and finals.

Leah Acker, a senior, was taken ill while speaking in the final round of the foreign extemporaneous category and was unable to finish. She was given a sixth-place award at the closing assembly.

Samantha Nan, an eighth-grader, placed third in poetry interpretation. She received top rankings in two preliminary rounds and a first from one of her three final-round judges.

Mercer also had 16 others who received recognition for placing in the semifinal. Melissa Smith, a senior; Megan Zigo, a sophomore; and Tom Sheehan, an eighth-grader, placed for original oratory; Samantha Gathers, a junior; and Harley Blake, a freshman, prose interpretation; Rachel Anson, a senior; Deidre Klaiber, a junior; and Kimberly Gathers, a freshman, all poetry; Justine McCullough, a junior; and Corri Hines, a freshman, both dramatic interpretation; Alison Earnhart, Jayson Portman and Samantha Rock, all seniors; and Anthony Harvey, a junior, all humorous interpretation; and Jonah Klixbull and Tela Knauff, both freshman; and Renee Staul and Molly McElrath, both sophomores, duo interpretation.

On Feb. 1, Mercer competed in the 16th annual Bethel Park Invitational, placing first in the 33-team field with 225 sweepstakes points. Awards were presented to the top 10 finishers in each of the eight individual events categories. Mercer placed at least one speaker in each category and 26 won awards.

Becky Lopuh picked up her third tournament championship in four trophy tournament outings this season as she was named top speaker in all four rounds of dramatic interpretation.

Lindsay Kimes placed second, two points behind Becky with top speaker rankings in all four rounds. Corri Hines won the third-place trophy with first-place ranks in all four rounds, but fewer speaker points than the top two winners. Justine McCullough won fourth place with three firsts and a second.

Woody Dixon won his fourth consecutive tournament as he received top rankings and 98 out of 100 speaker points from his four judges in humorous interpretation. Alison Earnhart won third place with three firsts and a third in four rounds. Samantha Rock and Jayson Portman placed seventh and 10th, respectively.

Leah Acker picked up her fourth tournament championship in five outings this season in foreign extemporaneous speaking as she was given three first-place ranks and a second in four rounds. Alex Morin and Lucas Eperthener, both eighth-graders, placed ninth and 10th, respectively.

Deidre Klaiber captured her first tournament title of the year in poetry interpretation and ranked first in all four rounds with 95 speaker points. Emma Waterloo, a junior, placed fifth; Kimberly Gathers and Samantha Nan tied for seventh; and Amanda Shannon, a freshman, placed 10th.

Samantha Gathers won the second-place trophy in prose interpretation. She received third-place ranks in the first round and first place in each of the last three rounds.

The team of Courtney Urey and Kenny Long finished in a tie for fourth place with Erica Powell and Wylie Earnhart in duo interpretation. Polly Kyle and Michael Shomin, both freshman, placed eighth overall.

Tom Sheehan won fourth-place honors in original oratory with first-place rankings in three of four rounds. Jessica Thompson, a senior, placed sixth in the category with first-place ranks in three rounds.

Tyler Love placed fifth in United States extemporaneous speaking.

Ninth- through 12th-grade Mercer speakers competed Jan. 23 in a Catholic Forensic League tournament at Meadville High School.

A number of Mercer's students became eligible for partial scholarships to Gannon University, Erie, by placing first in their respective categories.

Melissa Smith and Jessica Thompson took the top spot in original oratory, as did Leah Acker in extemporaneous speaking; Woody Dixon in dramatic interpretation; Rachel Anson and Samantha Gathers in oral interpretation; and Courtney Urey and Kenny Long in duo interpretation.