Led by Natalie Law and Mason Gedlaman, the Columbia Falls speech and debate team took first among Class A schools on Jan. 6-7 at the Loyola Sacred Heart tournament at the University of Montana.

Law won in oratory, and Gedlaman won in the humorous oral interpretation category. Blake Ladenburg took second in memorized public address, and debaters Mary Gross and Allison Foust took second in policy debate. Becky Griffith was second in Lincoln-Douglas debate.

"Our team is really coming together as we head into the final stretch of the season," coach Tara Norick said. "There was strong competition, with 18 teams from AA, A, B and C. Since Class B rules don't allow for double entry, many students competed in only a single event, reducing our entries in this tournament."

Even so, the team far outpaced its Class A opponents. Polson was second with 31, and Stevensville was third with 23.

"I was very proud of the team's hard work over the break, and it paid off with solid results," Norick said.

The team travels to Ronan this weekend and then hosts the divisional tournament the following week.