HARRISBURG, Ill. (March 26, 2026) — The Southeastern Illinois College Forensic Falcons traveled to Harper College for the Phi Rho Pi Region Four Regionals March 20 and 21. Nine other schools from across Illinois competed at the tournament.

Freshman Gracie Miller felt relieved about the tournament, noting, “I felt rejuvenated and happy because my hard work was finally showing. Putting forth the effort truly does show in the long run.”

Sophomore Frankie Messerschmidt agreed: “The speech season is long and grueling at times, but now, we are so close to the end. I can’t wait to see how we all perform at Nationals!”

The results from the tournament were as follows.

Frankie Messerschmidt (Harrisburg) Silver in Impromptu speaking.

Gracie Miller (Harrisburg) Bronze in Speech to Entertain, Bronze in Prose, Bronze in Dramatic Interpretation.

Jenann Woods (Marion) Bronze in Program Oral Interpretation.

Callie Belford (Hardin County) Bronze in Communication Analysis.

The team travels next in April 2026 to the final tournament of the season, the Phi Rho Pi Nationals in Bethesda, Maryland. SIC’s Forensic Falcons are coached by Jenny Billman, Rachel Parish, and Angie Dunk.