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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University's forensics team members posted some top finishes in the Great Alaska Speakout.

Varsity team members Kathy LaVeine, a senior speech communication and international business major, and Tom Sharpton, a sophomore biochemical engineering major, made it to the semi-final round of one of the most prestigious seasonal tournaments, said Trischa Goodnow, OSU director of forensics and associate professor of speech communication.

The event, hosted by the University of Alaska at Anchorage, was the team's first competition of the 2000-2001 academic year, Goodnow said.

LaVeine, of Tigard, was ranked the second-best speaker at the tournament and Sharpton, of Fairbanks, Alaska, was the 10th top speaker. LaVeine and Sharpton lost to a team from Colorado College, the eventual tournament winners.

The event hosts the top 10 teams from around the nation. Among the other universities participating were Willamette University of Salem and the Claremont Colleges, Claremont, Calif. LaVeine is an OSU forensics veteran who traveled with the OSU team to the International Forensics Association Championships in Rome, Italy. In Rome, LaVeine captured the world title for top individual "persuasive speaker."