The North Dakota State Lincoln Speech and Debate Society took home 105 awards this year.

This figure includes 24 champions and the parliamentary debate duo claiming the North and South Dakota regional championship.

The team has made great strides in the last few years.

“Three years ago, NDSU wasn’t on the map for speech and debate, but we’ve gotten a lot of attention recently. Other schools have started to notice, especially when we walk away with first place from some tournaments with some big-name schools in attendance,” said Najla Amundson, the faculty coach for the team.

Amundson is the first full-time faculty coach for the team in over a decade.

“There’s been a renewed emphasis on the part of the college — we’ve gotten wonderful support from the dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; tremendous support from the Department of Communication,” Amundson said.

The team will be putting on a showcase 7 p.m. Tuesday in Minard 116. Tickets won’t be required, but it might be a good idea to show up early.

“We filled our room last year; there were even people sitting on the floor. We have a slightly larger room this year, but we are hoping to fill it as well,” Amundson notes.

The showcase will highlight what the team has accomplished during the season, and several of the individuals who qualified for Nationals — the “Super Bowl” of speech — will perform.

Mariah Spillers will perform a poetry program on racism. Jared Melville will give an informative speech on head transplants. Ruben Flores will perform a program called “Facebook Never Forgets.” Gabriel Eronmosele and Mathew Justin, North and South Dakota’s champion debate team, will debate each other on the resolution that student athletes should be paid a salary.

“It’s a chance to show what we’ve accomplished this season,” said Amundson, “to share with faculty, students and the public.”

The organization is open to anyone; students who are interested are encouraged to contact Amundson at najla.amundson@ndsu.edu.