2021-2022
Big Ideas,
Real Impact.
The 2021–2022 Speech & Debate Team was the year we collectively decided that sleep is optional, caffeine is essential, and arguing is basically a personality trait. We perfected the art of sounding confident even when we had no idea what our third contention actually meant.
We survived online tournaments where “You’re frozen” became both a technical issue and a personality description. We learned how to cross-examine opponents while pretending our internet wasn’t held together by pure hope. Somehow, despite all of that, we still managed to win rounds. Shocking, honestly.
This was the season of dramatic rebuttals, last-minute case rewrites, and teammates saying “I’m cooked” right before absolutely destroying the competition. We didn’t just compete — we overcompeted. We didn’t just argue — we kept arguing after the judge stopped flowing.
In short, 2021–2022 was chaotic, mildly unhinged, highly competitive, and somehow incredibly successful. Would we do it all again? Probably. Would we complain the entire time? Absolutely.
Meet the team!
Haruna Nebu
Haruna competed in IPDA, Interpretation, and Platform Speaking, steadily building her presence throughout the season. She earned multiple placements in events like Informative, Persuasive, and Dramatic Interpretation, showing consistent growth across tournaments.
Beyond competition, Haruna was a reliable and steady part of the team—bringing focus, support, and quiet determination that helped shape the overall team dynamic.
Dakota Watts
Dakota Watts, from Cowley, Wyoming, competed in IPDA, Parliamentary Debate, and Interpretation, contributing across both debate and individual events. Throughout the season, she earned strong placements, including a 2nd place finish in Dramatic Interpretation, showing her ability to perform at a high level.
Beyond competition, Dakota was a supportive and reliable part of the team, contributing to the overall team dynamic and helping create a positive, competitive environment throughout the season.
Bailey Liebert
Bailey Liebert, from Cody, Wyoming, was one of the most active competitors on the team, participating in Parliamentary Debate, IPDA, Interpretation, and Platform Speaking. Throughout the season, she earned multiple placements in events like Informative and Persuasive Speaking while also contributing strongly in debate.
Beyond competition, Bailey played a key leadership role as Vice President, helping guide the team and maintain a supportive, driven environment. Her energy, consistency, and leadership made her an essential part of the 2021–2022 season.
Michael Neufer
Michael Neufer, from Worland, Wyoming, competed across multiple events including Parliamentary Debate, IPDA, Interpretation, Platform Speaking, and Limited Prep, making him one of the most versatile members of the team. Throughout the season, he earned strong placements in both speaking and debate events, consistently contributing to the team’s overall success.
As President of the team, Michael played a major leadership role—helping guide practices, support teammates, and maintain a competitive yet supportive environment. His leadership, experience, and all-around presence made him a central figure in the 2021–2022 season.
Hannah Blasco
Hannah Blasco, from Cody, Wyoming, competed in Parliamentary Debate, IPDA, Interpretation, and Platform Speaking, making her one of the most versatile members of the team. Throughout the season, she earned top placements across multiple tournaments, including strong finishes in Informative Speaking and Program Oral Interpretation.
In addition to her competitive success, Hannah served as Secretary, contributing to the organization and cohesion of the team. Her consistency, work ethic, and leadership made her a key part of the team’s success that year.
Awards and recognitions
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The team decided to casually fly to California, see the ocean, and also… win things.
In individual events, Haruna kicked things off with a strong 4th place in Informative, proving she did not come all the way from Japan to play around. Bailey followed with 6th in Informative, while Hannah secured 6th in Program Oral Interpretation—because apparently placing is just what this team does now. Michael added to the list with a 3rd place finish in Impromptu, showing that even with little prep, he still had something to say.
And then came debate. Michael picked up a Silver Award in IPDA, because one award was clearly not enough. Meanwhile, Michael and Bailey teamed up in Parliamentary Debate and made it to Quarterfinals, proving that arguing together was, in fact, a solid life choice.
Overall, the team competed, placed, and still found time to enjoy the beach—arguably the most balanced performance of the season.
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This tournament was fully online, which meant two things: no travel…
Hannah decided to dominate the entire event, casually taking 1st in Informative AND 1st in Program Oral Interpretation, because apparently winning once wasn’t enough. Bailey followed with 2nd in Informative and 5th in Poetry, keeping the placements coming.
Haruna continued her consistent season with 3rd in Informative and 5th in Persuasive, proving she was quietly stacking results every tournament. Michael added 2nd in Prose and 3rd in Communication Analysis, just to make sure his name stayed everywhere on the results sheet.
And Dakota? Only went ahead and grabbed 2nd in Dramatic Interpretation, because why not join the placement party too.
At this point, it was less of a question of if someone from NWC would place… and more of a question of how many times.
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Another virtual tournament, another reminder that location does not affect results.
The team came in strong, placing 1st among community colleges and 7th overall, which is a pretty solid way of saying, “yeah, we showed up.”
Individually, Michael picked up 2nd in Communication Analysis and 6th in Prose, continuing his habit of collecting placements like it’s a side quest. Hannah followed with 2nd in Program Oral Interpretation, because consistency was clearly her brand this season.
Haruna added 3rd in Dramatic Interpretation and 5th in Persuasive, once again quietly securing multiple placements like it’s just part of the routine. Bailey contributed with 4th in Persuasive, rounding out yet another tournament where pretty much everyone decided to succeed at the same time.
At this point, the team wasn’t just competing—they were making it a habit.
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Overall, NWC took 2nd among two-year schools, 6th overall at the tournament, and 5th overall in the swing, which basically means they were everywhere on the leaderboard at once.
Hannah continued her main character season with 2nd in Program Oral Interpretation and 6th in Dramatic Interpretation, and just for fun, she also picked up the prestigious Garth Award—because regular awards clearly weren’t enough anymore.
In debate, Bailey earned 4th Speaker, while Michael followed with 6th Speaker, proving that even when they weren’t winning rounds, they were still out-speaking everyone.
At this point, the team was not just competing—they were collecting titles like it was part of the plan.
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NWC secured 3rd place in team debate sweepstakes, which is a fancy way of saying: collectively, they were a problem.
Individually, Michael added 4th in Communication Analysis, continuing his streak of being on basically every results sheet. Hannah followed with 2nd in Dramatic Interpretation, because at this point, not placing would’ve been out of character.
It might not have been the flashiest tournament of the season, but the team still showed up, placed, and reminded everyone they were consistently in the mix.
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The last virtual tournament of the season… and the team made sure to finish it strong.
Michael led the way with 1st in Prose and 3rd in Communication Analysis, casually winning an event like it was just another weekend. Hannah followed with 2nd in Communication Analysis and 3rd in Dramatic Interpretation, continuing her streak of being everywhere on the results list.
Haruna added 4th in Dramatic Interpretation, 5th in Informative, and 6th in Persuasive, once again stacking placements across multiple events like it’s part of her routine. Bailey contributed with 3rd in Persuasive, rounding out another tournament where the team refused to leave empty-handed.
More importantly, this tournament marked the end of the virtual grind—and honestly, everyone was just happy to finally log off.
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The team pulled up to nationals… and yes, they made it count.
Overall, NWC placed 4th in Individual Events, 5th in Debate, and 4th overall among community colleges, which is basically the national-level version of “we’re still that team.”
Hannah led the way in debate, breaking to Quarterfinals in IPDA and earning 3rd Speaker, because even at nationals, she kept the same energy all season.
And while the results matter, let’s be honest—this tournament also included national parks, the ocean, and Disney World… so the team somehow managed to be both competitive and on vacation at the same time.
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And then came Phi Rho Pi—the tournament that’s less about trophies and more about what you actually take with you.
The team may not have ended with a pile of awards, but they left with something better: growth, experience, and a season that actually meant something. As Coach Hunt put it, this team supported each other, stayed drama-free (which is honestly impressive), and grew both as competitors and as people.
At the end of the day, some teams win trophies. This team built something bigger—and that’s what actually lasts.
life after forensics
Haruna graduated from Northwest College in 2023, where she studied Communication and spent time with the NWC speech and debate community learning how to speak confidently, argue a point, and probably drink more coffee than any normal student should during tournament weekends. Somewhere along the way, all that talking and storytelling turned into a serious interest in journalism.
After NWC, Haruna continued her studies at Morehead State University in Kentucky, where she earned her degree in Journalism. Now she’s back home in Tokyo, Japan, where she plans to start working in April. Her journey took her from Tokyo to Wyoming, then to Kentucky, and now back to Tokyo again—which might make her one of the few NWC alumni who can say debate practice helped launch a small international tour.
Bailey Liebert graduated from NWC with an associate’s degree in Communication before continuing her education at The University of Louisiana, located in her home state. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in Broadcast with a minor in Leadership, graduating cum laude. During college, she began working weekends at a local television news station, gaining hands-on experience in reporting and storytelling. After graduating in 2025, she was promoted to a full-time reporter and has spent the past three years working in broadcast journalism. Today, she covers stories across Acadiana, focusing on local government, community issues, and the people who make the region unique. Liebert says the skills she developed through speech and debate…especially public speaking, quick thinking, and constructing clear arguments…continue to play a major role in her work as a reporter both on camera and in the field.
Hannah Blasco is currently in Eugene, Oregon, continuing her journey beyond NWC. While we don’t have all the details, we know she’s someone who brought dedication and positivity to the team—and we’re confident she’s doing great things wherever she is.
Michael Neufer’s current adventures remain unknown. Our message was successfully delivered—and that’s where the story ends.
Dakota Watts has kept a bit of mystery since her time at NWC. We don’t have a current update—or even a photo—but we’re confident she’s out there doing great things.
The team pulled up to the beach for some well-deserved relaxation… only to find the locals already holding a meeting. Judging by the looks of it, we were not invited—and they definitely had stronger opinions.
