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And the winners are ... Ashland High School students placing in individual events at the state speech/debate championship included: Russell Howe , after dinner speaking, first; Skye Mathieson , radio commentary, second; Heather Rice , original oratory, second; Mat Marr , extemporaneous speaking, third; Andy Howe and Rex Reichenshammer , dual interpretation, third; Brandon Terry , memorized humorous, third; Caitlin Donovan , memorized serious, third; Tasia Savko , after dinner speaking, fourth; Poppy Alexander , impromptu, fourth; Jordon Rose-Merkle , humorous interpretation, fourth; Daniela Jacobson-Fried and Misha Werschkul , dual interpretation, fourth; Brandon Terry , memorized serious, fourth; Zen Freese , prose reading, semifinals; and Skye Mathieson , poetry, semifinals. In the debate events, Mat Marr took first in the Lincoln-Douglas policy, followed by Seth Poulos and Dane Reinstedt , placing third in team debate. Fourth place ties in the Lincoln-Douglas value debate went to Poppy Alexander , Heather Rice and Una Kimokeo-Goes . Mike McNamara took fourth in the Lincoln-Douglas policy debate. In the congress event, Adam Sexton placed second, followed by Bethany Cotton with fourth and Djuna Myers as a finalist. Ashland wins state debate title Victory at U. of O. on Saturday makes for 8th crown in decade By PAUL FATTIG ASHLAND -- The Ashland High School speech and debate team has walked away with the state crown for the eighth time this decade. The team won the Oregon School Activities Association/U.S. Bank state contest at the University of Oregon on Saturday. Beaverton High School took second while Gresham's Barlow High School placed third. Since 1990, Ashland missed winning the state title in this arena of intellectual athletics only in 1995 and 1998. Moreover, the latest win made it the overall leader this decade in terms of state crowns in any event, according to the OSAA. Second place goes to the six titles each for the Oregon City girls basketball team and the Bend girls cross country team. "It was a real team effort," said John Tredway, the team's coach for the past 27 years. "We knew that Barlow had all their speakers back from last year's state title team," he said. "Our kids had to sacrifice their favorite events to move into positions where we could have our best entries." The result was Ashland collected a total of 129 points, including 74 team points in individual speaking events, 41 points in debate and 14 in congress. The students begin practicing at the beginning of the school year, and are often at competitions two weekends a month. Junior Skye Mathieson joined the team last year, following the debating footsteps of an elder sister who graduated in 1995. "She told me how much it had helped her," he said, adding, "Debate has helped shape my life. I love it. It's an incredible phenomenon to stand up in front of people to speak and not be nervous." Third-year team member Una Kimokeo-Goes, a senior, agreed. "This has kept me motivated -- it's something I look forward to," she said. "This has given me a much higher level of confidence, in researching and in poise." Junior Djuna Myers reiterated Tredway's view that the team's winning ways come from working together. "We've got a unique team because older students are always coaching the younger ones," she said. Co-captains Bethany Cotton and Heather Rice, both seniors and veteran team members, say there is no debate when it comes to Ashland being a state leader at the podium. "Ashland is a team that feeds itself," Cotton said. "Each year we have a new crop of novices. All the knowledge gets passed down each year." "It's a great way to combine individual talents with a team effort," Rice added. "It helps you develop lot of communications and leadership skills. It taught me a lot of about myself." Eligible team members will compete in the national speech and debate championship in Phoenix, Ariz., early in June. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA