Comet Speech and Forensics 2024-25 Achievements
Rice University Classic Swing, Sept. 28-29, 2024
Sept. 28
Team: 2nd in Individuals Events Team Sweepstakes
Individual:
- Tyler Crivella: 1st in Prose Interpretation, 2nd in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Sneha Elangovan: 6th in Extemporaneous Speaking, Finalist in Impromptu Speaking
- Alex de Jesus-Colon: Finalist in Impromptu Speaking
Sept. 29
Team: 3rd, Individual Events Team Sweepstakes
Individual:
- Tyler Crivella: 2nd in Impromptu Speaking, 2nd in Prose Interpretation, 3rd in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Alex de Jesus-Colon: 5th in Extemporaneous Speaking, 6th in Impromptu Speaking.
DFW Swing, Oct. 4-6, 2024
UT Dallas’ first collegiate-level individual speech tournament on campus, co-hosted with Texas Christian University
Oct. 4
Individual:
- Tyler Crivella: 1st in After Dinner Speech, 1st in Impromptu Speaking, 1st in Prose Interpretation, 6th in Extemporaneous Speaking, 2nd in Individual Sweepstakes
Oct. 5-6
Team: 3rd in Individual Events Team Sweepstakes
Individual:
- Tyler Crivella and Alex de Jesus-Colon: “Perfect Picket Fence” — 1st with maximum speaker points in Impromptu Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking
- Sneha Elangovan: “Perfect Picket Fence” — 1st with maximum speaker points in Informative Speaking
- Crivella: 1st in Impromptu Speaking, 1st in Extemporaneous Speaking, 3rd in After Dinner Speaking, 4th in Prose Interpretation, 2nd in Individual Sweepstakes
- Elangovan: 1st in Informative Speaking, 2nd in Extemporaneous Speaking, 3rd in Impromptu Speaking, 3rd in Individual Sweepstakes
- de Jesus-Colon: 4th in Informative Speaking, 5th in Extemporaneous Speaking
Texas Intercollegiate Forensic Association (TIFA) Fall State Tournament, Nov. 1-3, 2024
Nov. 1
Team: Won Limited Entry Sweepstakes, 5th in Overall Team Sweepstakes
Individual:
- Sneha Elangovan: 1st in Communication Analysis, 4th in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Kenny Lin: 1st in Novice IPDA
- Tyler Crivella: Semifinalist in Varsity IPDA
- Alex de Jesus-Colon: Octafinalist in Varsity IPDA
Nov. 2-3
Team: 3rd in Individuals Events Team Sweepstakes
Individual:
- Sneha Elangovan: 1st in Informative Speaking, 1st in Communication Analysis, 4th in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Tyler Crivella: 1st in Extemporaneous Speaking, 5th in After Dinner Speaking, 6th in Impromptu Speaking
- Kenny Lin: 2nd in Informative Speaking
American Forensic Association-National Speech Tournament District III Fall Qualifier (online), Dec. 7-8, 2024
Individual:
- Alex de Jesus-Colon: 4th in Informative Speaking, 5th in Extemporaneous Speaking, 6th in Impromptu Speaking
Hofstra Winter Blast Tournament (online), Jan. 13-16, 2025
Team: Won Overall Sweepstakes!
Individual:
- Sneha Elangovan: 1st in Impromptu Speaking, 2nd in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Tyler Crivella: 3rd in Communication Analysis, 3rd in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Kenny Lin: 5th in Extemporaneous Speaking, 5th in Informative Speaking
Hell Froze Over XXVI Swing, Jan. 18-19, 2025
Jan. 18
Individual:
- Sneha Elangovan: 5th in Communication Analysis, Semifinalist in Impromptu Speaking, Semifinalist in Persuasive Speaking
- Tyler Crivella: Semifinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking
Jan. 19
Individual:
- Tyler Crivella: 3rd in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Sneha Elangovan: Semifinalist in Informative Speaking
Texas Intercollegiate Forensic Association (TIFA) Spring State Tournament, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2025
Team: 3rd in Individual Events Team Sweepstakes, 5th in Overall Team Sweepstakes
Individual: Sneha Elangovan and Tyler Crivella both were named to the TIFA All-State Team! Sneha became the first alternate to the Interstate Oratory Contest because of her placement in Persuasive Speaking.
- Tyler Crivella: 1st in Communication Analysis, 1st in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Sneha Elangovan: 2nd in Impromptu Speaking, 3rd in Persuasive Speaking
- Kenny Lin: 3rd in Informative Speaking, 7th in Extemporaneous Speaking
Mean Green Invitational, Feb. 2, 2025
Team: 3rd in Individual Events Team Sweepstakes
Individual:
- Tyler Crivella: 2nd in Communication Analysis, 3rd in Extemporaneous Speaking, 3rd in Persuasive Speaking
- Sneha Elangovan: 1st in Persuasive Speaking, 5th in Impromptu Speaking
- Kenny Lin: 4th in Informative Speaking
Sweetheart Swing, Feb. 7-9, 2025
Finished second in combined sweepstakes and competed with seven team members: Arzoo Daredia, Sneha Elangovan, Jasmine Kouhestani, Kenny Lin, Aylin Masiga, Anshumann Zutshi and Aidan Boyd
Feb. 7
Team: 3rd in Individual Events Team Sweepstakes
Individual:
- Sneha Elangovan: 1st in Communication Analysis, 1st in Informative Speaking, 1st in Persuasive Speaking, 6th in Impromptu Speaking
- Kenny Lin: 2nd in Informative Speaking, 3rd in Extemporaneous Speaking
- Arzoo Daredia: 5th in Extemporaneous Speaking Anshumann Zutshi: 6th in Extemporaneous Speaking
Feb. 8-9
Team: 3rd in Individual Events Team Sweepstakes
Individual:
- Sneha Elangovan: 1st in Informative Speaking
- Kenny Lin: 4th in Impromptu Speaking
- Aylin Masiga: 5th in Informative Speaking
Bowling Green Forensics Magic Tournament, (online), Feb. 22-23, 2025
Feb. 22
Individual:
- Tyler Crivella: 3rd in Persuasive Speaking, 4th in Communication Analysis
Feb. 23
Individual:
- Tyler Crivella: 5th in Persuasive Speaking, 6th in Communication Analysis
Spring Break Showcase, March 17-23, 2025
Sneha Elangovan, Tyler Crivella, Kenny Lin and Dr. John Gooch toured Switzerland and Northern Italy to showcase UTD’s speech merits on an international stage. The students performed a live debate at the Virginia Tech Steger Center for International Scholarship on the topic “NATO has been of net benefit.” Additionally, they presented speeches in classes of “International Public Speaking/Business English” and “English Language” at the University of Brescia and the state University of Milan, respectively.
American Forensic Association (AFA) National Speech Tournament (NST), University of North Carolina at Charlotte, April 4-7, 2025
The team earned its best finish ever at AFA-NST, breaking multiple records. Most notably, Sneha Elangovan was named to the All-American Team! Sneha and Tyler Crivella were also the first in Comet Speech and Forensics history to qualify in five events, smashing the three-event record set in 2024. It also was the first entry a UTD student had into an elimination round — an accomplishment Sneha and Tyler shared again.
Team: Won second in Limited Entry Sweepstakes
Individual:
- Sneha Elangovan: Quarterfinalist in Persuasive Speaking, Quarterfinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking, Qualifier in Communication Analysis, Qualifier in Impromptu Speaking, Qualifier in Informative Speaking
- Tyler Crivella: Quarterfinalist in Extemporaneous Speaking, Qualifier in After Dinner Speaking, Qualifier in Communication Analysis, Qualifier in Impromptu Speaking, Qualifier in Prose Interpretation
- Alex de Jesus-Colon: Qualifier in Informative Speaking
- Kenny Lin: Qualifier in Informative Speaking