The Glacier High School speech and debate team cruised to a commanding victory at the Missoula Kickoff Tournament through a well-rounded showing across events.  

“Despite not winning a single individual event, Glacier’s depth and consistency carried them to the team title with 230.5 points ...” Glacier head coach Greg Adkins said. 

Hellgate placed second with 149 points overall, followed by Flathead High School with 115 points, in Class AA. 

Fifteen teams from across western Montana competed in the Nov. 1 tournament at Hellgate High School, marking the start of the 2025–26 speech and debate season. 

“I’m a little bummed we didn’t end up with any individual champions, but I’m really proud of the balance and depth we displayed in our first tournament of the year,” Adkins said. 

Adkins highlighted standout performances from the Dramatic Interpretation, Program Oral Interpretation, and Memorized Public Address squads, all of which sent multiple competitors to final rounds.  

“Josh Lee moved from Policy Debate to finish second in both Extemporaneous Speaking and MPA [Memorized Public Address],” Adkins said. “Izzy McKoy transitioned from Oratory and Informative to make finals in Legislative Debate. Tesla Liebe-Cohen moved from Impromptu to Policy Debate, and Haily Fiala switched from Lincoln-Douglas to Public Forum Debate — all with great early success.” 

He also noted several competitors who are expanding their range to strengthen the team’s overall balance by competed in new events this season, including Sophie Johnson, Program Oral Interpretation; Autumn Bashera, Dramatic Interpretation; Daniel Cole, Program Oral Interpretation and Memorized Public Address; and Myla Lamson, Program Oral Interpretation and Memorized Public Address. 

Flathead returned with two first-place finishers, B Poitra in Legislative Debate and Layna Astley and Lincoln McElwain in Duo Interpretation. 

CLASS A teams also had a strong start to the competitive season. 

Columbia Falls High School swept up the competition in Class A, B and C, earning 116 points overall for a first-place finish (ranking third among all classes). Whitefish High School placed second with 60.5 points, followed by Bigfork High School. 

Columbia Falls’ first-place finishers were Lily Aveson and Megan Day in Novice Policy Debate and Tia-Marie Poor in  Dramatic Interpretation. 

“While proud of their strong start, we recognize that this season will bring another year of tough competition and look forward to the opportunity for continued growth and success," Columbia Falls head coach Dawn Wheeler said. 

Giving a boost to the Whitefish teams were first-place finishers Astir Pulsifer in Impromptu Speaking, Scarlet Burke in Program Oral Interpretation and Unity Loveless in Memorized Public Address.   

“We were very excited to get the season started with a large group of underclassmen competing for the first time. The combination of fledgling potential and upperclassman leadership is boding well for a successful season running alongside some of the best in the state here in the Flathead Valley,” Whitefish Head Coach Sara Mueller said. 

Whitefish hosts the next tournament on Saturday and Mueller said volunteer judges are needed throughout the day. People interested in judging should contact Mueller at [email protected] for a signup link. No prior experience is necessary. 

“Great start,” Adkins said, “but it’s a long season. We know Bozeman is a powerhouse in the east, Hellgate is legit, and Flathead will bounce back as they adjust to new coaching leadership.” 

Following are local individual results. 

Varsity Policy Debate

3. Z Belt and Tesla Liebe-Cohen, Glacier 

5. Lillie Groom and Kyra Russell, Glacier 

6. Kikayla King and Cayden Porter, Flathead 

7. Brooklyn Bowen and Elle Sauer, Flathead 

8. Cheyenne Dear-Ruel and Kaya Carlburg, Columbia Falls 

Novice Policy Debate  

1. Lily Aveson and Megan Day, Columbia Falls 

3. Bailey Combs and Phebe Smiley, Columbia Falls 

4. Peyton McCoy and Louis Santora, Glacier 

5. Noah Juster and Jayis Holm, Glacier 

7. Beckett Karlin and Sam Burns, Glacier 

8. Ozel Peters and Adai Young, Whitefish 

Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate 

3. Brennan Anderson, Glacier 

5. Madelynn Danford, Flathead 

8. Lilah Wellemeyer, Glacier 

Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate 

3. Anya Denmark, Glacier 

4. Noah Elliott, Glacier 

7. Vikram Vatti, Flathead 

8. Loren Connors, Columbia Falls 

Public Forum Debate 

2. Hailey Fiala and Asher Stanfield, Glacier 

7. Abigail O'Connell and Fin Reed, Flathead 

8. Olivia Kufa and Mavery Fauth, Glacier 

Legislative Debate  

1. B Poitra, Flathead 

3. Jakoby Isles, Glacier 

4. Mitchell Johnson, Flathead 

6. Isabelle McKoy, Glacier 

7. Teyvia Davis, Flathead 

Extemporaneous Speaking  

2. Joshua Lee, Glacier 

4. Jake Milone, Flathead 

5. Dalton Howser, Flathead 

8. Lauren Pittman, Glacier 

Impromptu Speaking 

1. Astir Pulsifer, Whitefish 

3. Eleanor Smiley, Columbia Falls 

4. Erek Benson, Flathead 

6. Fenyx Colby, Glacier 

7. Logan Yuasa-Green, Flathead 

Duo Interpretation 

1. Layna Astley and Lincoln McElwain, Flathead 

2. Kaylin Stein and Sophie Johnson, Glacier 

3. Von Blanchard and Brandon Widhalm, Columbia Falls 

4. Scarlet Burke and Unity Loveless, Whitefish 

5. Olivia Grace Close and Jake Baldi, Bigfork 

6. Trevor Hammer and Megan Mikelson, Glacier 

7. Jaydon Pesola and Jasper Wilde, Flathead 

8. Myla Johnson and Lynne Beisel, Flathead 

Humorous Interpretation  

1. Jake Baldi, Bigfork 

2. Jasper Wilde, Flathead 

3. Tia Marie Poor, Columbia Falls 

4. Brody Henion, Bigfork 

5. Kaylin Stein, Glacier 

6. Bridget Reed, Glacier 

7. Brett Pilon, Glacier 

Dramatic Interpretation 

1. Tia Marie Poor, Columbia Falls 

2. Autumn Bashara, Glacier 

3. Alex Carmalt, Glacier 

4. Von Blanchard, Columbia Falls 

5. Megan Mikelson, Glacier 

6. Rylee Wood, Bigfork 

7. Sophya Allred, Glacier 

8. Hilda Weber, Glacier 

Program Oral Interpretation 

1. Scarlet Burke, Whitefish 

2. Kira Shanks, Columbia Falls 

3. Sophie Johnson, Glacier 

4. Daniel Cole, Glacier 

5. Layna Astley, Flathead 

6. Myla Lamson, Glacier 

7. Kyla Turley, Glacier 

Original Oratory 

1. Madeline Pomeroy, Bigfork 

3. Astir Pulsifer, Whitefish 

5. Raya Gronley, Glacier 

7. Meghan Amick, Whitefish 

8. Jacob Braach, Flathead 

Informative Speaking  

2. Eleanor Smiley, Columbia Falls 

3. Eli Sanderson Strutz, Glacier 

4. Annabelle Church, Glacier 

Memorized Public Address 

1. Unity Loveless, Whitefish 

2. Joshua Lee, Glacier 

3. Myla Lamson, Glacier 

4. Raya Gronley, Glacier 

5. Kiera Williams, Glacier 

6. Daniel Cole, Glacier 

7. Mason Loeffler, Whitefish 

8. Logan Covey, Whitefish

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or [email protected].