Miguel Ibarra and Sawyer Brudigam

Members of the Wakefield Speech team finished up their season at the 2024 Class C1 State Speech meet in Kearney on Thursday, March 21.

Sawyer Brudigam and Miguel Ibarra competed one final time on the season in Kearney. Brudigam performed his Persuasive speech for a shot at a state medal, while Ibarra performed his Humorous Prose piece in the Unified Speech exhibition portion of the competition.

Ibarra, a senior for the Trojans, ended his career on a high-note. Ibarra was one of just four thespians selected to perform for the Unified Speech part of Thursday’s competition, and while he was not eligible for a state medal, his performance blew away the judges and spectators in attendance.

Unfortunately, Brudigam came home empty-handed after not making it to the final round of Persuasive Speaking. Brudigam, who is just a freshman for the Trojans, competed hard in the preliminary rounds but was unable to make it to the final stage. Brudigam ended his rookie season as a district medalist and state qualifier for the Trojans and will look to continue his success in the years to come.

With the season now over, fans of Trojan speech do have one last thing to look forward to. Ibarra’s performance impressed the judges so much that he has been asked to participate in the “Best of the Best” broadcast on NETV. Ibarra was asked by the NSAA Assistant Director herself shortly after his performance.

Ibarra will travel to Lincoln to give his performance at a date and time yet to be named. More information of Ibarra’s future performance will be released shortly.