Western Kentucky University Forensics Team Member Wins Holle Award And $10,000 Prize

Press release from Western Kentucky University:

October 13, 2021

WKU Forensics Team senior Kelly Lingen won the Holle Award for Excellence in Forensic Competition and a $10,000 prize this past weekend in the Crimson Classic, a virtual competition hosted by the University of Alabama.

Named after Everett Holle, a graduate of the University of Alabama and a 40-year veteran of the television industry, the Holle Award is given to the student who earns the most points across five different events in each of the three genres of competitive public speaking: interpretation of literature, public address, and limited preparation.

Lingen, a Creative Writing major from Minneapolis, Minnesota, expressed her gratitude for the unique opportunity. “I’d like to thank the Holle Family Foundation for supporting creativity in forensics. This has been the culmination of years of hard work and love for the activity. I am truly honored to receive this award and incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities forensics has given me.”

WKU Director of Forensics Ganer Newman expressed pride in Lingen’s achievements. “It was inspiring watching all the effort Kelly poured into her performances, including learning a brand-new event, to win the competition. Forensics teaches students invaluable communication skills. However, the unique cash prize offered by the Holle Family Foundation gave new meaning to the phrase ‘hard work pays off.’”

The WKU team will compete this weekend in a competition hosted by Bowling Green State University. WKU students interested in joining the forensics program are encouraged to contact director Ganer Newman at ganer.newman@wku.edu for more information.

This press release was produced by Western Kentucky University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.